Running a business on a basis of trial and error is not conducive to the ultimate success of the business. Failures cost both time and money, and inevitably lead to a loss of motivation. Once the fresh enthusiasm wears off, the financial drain and lack of worthwhile reward lead to a loss of interest. All the ingredients are there for another home-business failure to add to the already bleak statistics.
Let us examine some of the reasons for this high rate of failure:
The most likely cause of failure is a lack of experience in business generally, but specifically in the vital techniques of internet marketing. Affiliate Marketing training, where offered, is largely self-conducted and cannot pretend to replace years of first hand experience.
Online training usually offers answers to some of the queries which crop up, but responses are often slow and tend to be generic. This leads to frustration on the part of the trainee as the solutions offered are seldom specific enough to be ideal.
It is ideal to find a mentor with a demonstrable track record in the business, in addition to some specific qualities:
- He/she should be personally involved in the specific business.
- Access should be readily but reasonably available.
- The mentoring offered should be specific to the business, rather than generic business guidance.
- The ideal is to have a team of mentors, with a range of specialised skills, and the capacity to share the load of incoming queries.
- Another extremely useful capacity would be membership of a specific forum where interaction with others can lead to mutual problem sharing and solution.
- The cost of the mentorship must be affordable.
A suggestion is to enquire about mentorship as an integral part of any proposed Affiliate marketing programme and to examine what is offered in association with the benefits of the programme itself. Some of the larger and more successful Affiliate Programmes available on the internet now have associated coaching/ mentorship programmes on offer at a very modest cost. Do some research - it will be worth the effort!
If so, I can relate to where you're coming from. I worked for over 10 years, first as a solicitor and then in various marketing roles in the voluntary sector, knowing that what I was doing wasn't really "me" but pretty clueless as to what would be. I did know I wanted to do something that "helped people", and I wanted to see some fairly immediate results.
I spent years struggling to translate these two criteria into an actual career path, wasting a lot of time pursuing routes that fit on the surface, but weren't actually a realistic match for my personality. The Red Cross delegate post for example, visiting prisoners of war in a "potentially dangerous environment". Looking back I realise it suited the sort of person I would have liked to have been, more than who I really was: I'm terrified of skiing, let alone unfriendly prison guards in even unfriendlier countries.
Finally I was desperate enough (!) to hire a coach. Ironically coaching itself had been suggested to me as a potential career path years before. I soon realised that becoming a coach myself was in fact a much better fit - and that if I'd dug more deeply when my career doubts had first made their appearance I could have saved myself a lot of heartache.
To spare you some of this heartache, I've compiled a list of thought provokers to help you uncover what it is you'd really love to do - or perhaps fully realise what you've actually known all along.
5 Tips for Discovering What You Really Want
1.Banish those "shoulds"! - "My dad worked hard to build up the family business so I should carry it on"... "I did Languages so I should do something that uses them." The "should" is often followed by the killer clincher "it would be crazy"..."I've spent 15 years in HR so I should build on my area of expertise...it would be crazy to give up my salary/job security/promotion prospects" (delete as applicable)
2.Let go of the "ideal" you - Do you have a glamourised picture of what you want to be doing? (your Red Cross delegate equivalent). What is it about that picture that appeals to you? Listen carefully for anything that smacks of ego. Ask yourself, if no-one knew I did this, if no-one thanked me for it, if I didn't even get paid - would I still love doing it?
3.Get to the naked truth - Make a list of everything you truly love doing, or talking or thinking about. You need to be ruthlessly honest. We want the naked, pure, unvarnished you! Don't worry if some things look trivial or you can't see how they would relate to a job or income stream. Not everything you love to do needs to be reflected in your work life, but you'd be surprised at how you might get them in with a little creativity. It also doesn't matter if it's a very short list. Here was mine: Coffee - Old films - the MBTI (a personality assessment tool) - Reading autobiographies - Idly gossiping about friends (oh dear)
Not very promising you might think. But actually, it made me appreciate that what people do with their lives, and why they are how they are, was my key interest. This short list - more than any coaching session, self-help book, workshop or seminar - put me on my right path. (And I've made a determined effort to curb the gossip!).
4. Pay attention to jealousy - When your sister/neighbour/cousin once removed starts up their property business and you feel that curdling niggle in your stomach - take note. Jealously is a great clue to what we'd like for ourselves and it's a master at uncovering buried dreams. I hadn't written anything for pleasure since my teens so writing didn't even make it to my naked list. But when I found out a friend had had a magazine article accepted my gut told me this was something I wanted too. And because I now write from cafes near to my home I've found a way to incorporate coffee too!
5. Fan the embers - If you've done all the above and failed to come up with anything you feel passionately about, don't worry - you're in good company. Take the pressure off yourself and just think about things you have a mild interest in finding out more about. This mild interest is the equivalent to the gently burning coals of a fire. There's a flame there, but you need to apply some oxygen - in other words, your attention. Spend more time exploring your interest and chances are it will catch alight.
Both Mike Muir & Sarah Cooper are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Mike Muir has sinced written about articles on various topics from Your Online Business, Home Based Business and Work From Home. About the Author: Mike Muir writes informative articles aimed at assisting new home business owners. For more useful information please visit his Blog at: