Maybe you were just another freelancer… maybe you were attracted to internet marketing and you thought, hey, this is fun stuff, why don’t I offer SEO and web design services to businesses in my local area or even across the country?
It IS fun, for the most part and there are few things better in life than being your own boss.
Before you head down the road to success or make a turn onto the boulevard of broken dreams, here are a few tips that will help.
What You Need To Know To Get Started
There are a few things you need to keep in mind before giving this the good ole “college try”.
1.) It’s MUCH Easier To Make Money when You Have Money
It seems pretty basic.
It seems obvious.
Why is it that half the people wanting to get started in this field are broke? They have no money to invest in their business, they have no money to invest in themselves.
If you can’t afford your own web hosting or a domain name then you’re in trouble.
If you can’t afford a phone line so you can cold call or simply accept calls from clients, then you’re setting yourself up for failure.
Most people can not start something from nothing. It’s just not likely to happen. The few people that CAN, still end up failing. Does that seem like a logical risk to take?
I actually was one of those people that started with pretty much nothing. Leeching wifi from a business nearby. It’s not fun and it’s extremely difficult to be able to make money when you have nothing to invest.
The best advice I can give you, is get a job. Have a little bit of money saved up so you can afford to start things the right way. It’s so much easier to make money when you already have money.
Money, isn’t the end goal. Money is just a very important tool. Building a business without it is like trying to build a house from the ground up, using a steak knife to cut wood and a rock to pound nails in… instead of a hammer.
You want to succeed? Don’t work for money… make your money work for you.
2.) You Need a Freakin Plan!
Just wanting to do something, isn’t enough.
Do you have a business plan? A marketing plan? Do you have benchmarks setup so you can put money aside for future expenses in order to grow your business?
Do you have outsourcers lined up? Project management platform?
Do you know who your ideal customer is?
Do you know what your pricing strategy is or are you just going to “custom quote” everything?
These are all things you should have covered. You should have every aspect of your business, planned out ahead of time. Remember, this isn’t just money you’re investing but your time. Don’t you want to make the most of your investment?
Before you decide to get into this, set some time aside to really come up with a plan.
3.) Just Do It!
Making your money work for you, having an actual plan you can execute… neither one of these things really make much of a difference if you’re the type to just sit back and look for excuses to why you’re not putting things into motion.
“Take action”, is what most people say to do, and you’ll be fine. Not exactly the truth though is it? However, when you have an actual plan then you can take highly focused action, which is what matters.
Are you worried about calling someone and interrupting their day? Just do it… Thinking about when you should start your own blog, just do it and then figure out a launch date.
People get hung up on stupid stuff. I’m no exception and I’m sure you aren’t either.
There comes a point when the planning phase is done. Don’t procrastinate by adding unnecessary things to your plan, just get started implementing it!
Hey Nathan, it’s been a few weeks since I touched base. We did a 4,400 mile family road trip dropping my daughter off at the USAFA in CO. She is in basic training now and I can get back to this internet business.
Question a little off track for starting my own business. What do you know about the affiliate and ReSeller program offers out there for SEO White Lable companies like 180fusion.com or Boostability.com or eBrandz.com or HubShout.com
Where you just promote them and they do the back end? The reviews are so mixed hard to know who to believe. Thanks, Paul
Paul, thanks for the comment! Must have been a nice road trip. Is she going to the academy or is it just for basic? Must be a proud moment either way.
I have never used those resellers or white label solutions so I can’t personally comment based on my experience, but I would advise you to be VERY careful when it comes to using any program like that. Not only does it kill your margins, but it gives you no control. It’s like you have a hustle, but not a real business.
A very proud Dad for sure. Her dream is #1 Fighter Pilot ; #2 Astronaut ; or #3 “if I can’t fly them, I’ll build them as Aeronautical Engineer” (she’s pretty smart)
So yes she is in for the long haul.
Appreciate your comments about being Very Careful with being a 3rd party.
I just tried again to download the Top 64 but nothing in my email. This is the 3rd time I have submitted the request. Not in spam either. What might I be doing wrong?
That’s strange Paul, I’ll take a look at it and once I get on my other computer will email you the file. Sorry about that!
Got it, Thanks
I’m going thru the Blue Print again and am concentrating on Part 5
I’m olde school and like to know what I’m selling. When I had my Spring Water brick & mortar delivery company it was easy….. I had a physical product and a service (delivery).
With my new online venture (with your help) I feel I need to know a bit more before I sell my service. Because right now I don’t have a service to sell.
Here is what i’m thinking to start with, Buy the white label servive from Bright Local and then learn how to fix the problems that it discovers.
Your thoughts? Thanks, Paul
ps what do you think of this name I just bought http://www.WebsiteProblemSolver.com
Well what are you really interested in getting into Paul? Are you confident you can get results for businesses when it comes to online? The bright local reports might help but it’s going to be hard for you to sell a business owner on that, you have to call it some sort of service!
I do like the name. Good name!
Just back from 12 hour work day (can’t make any real money if you’re to busy working).
No I am Not confident (yet) that I can get results for clients. That’s what i’m trying to learn here. Your whole blueprint is for those who want to do “something” with local business online isn’t it? The first 4 sections are on “selling the businesses” on a “service”, what i’m trying to figure out with your help is what do i start with to offer? so isn’t the cart before the horse? I must understand Part 5 “Fulfill the Orders” Before I can offer the service or market it.
You start section 5 saying “SEO is the most difficult …” so I thought you meant to start slower? rather than the entire seo thing, scrape specific problem areas of a local business and contact them with your solution?
I thought that Bright Local scrapes “problems” business have that I could learn how to offer a solution for that problem? Bright Local offers 7 tools and can’t each be sold either individually or as a bundle?
You say “on page optimization is one of the most important things” so I need to find businesses that have this as a problem then offer the solution? And Bright Local finds poor ones and that would be a lead?
What am I missing?
I just went back to your WF SO and what caught my eye to buy from you was this sales pitch: I made this so you don’t have to go through what I did.
This guide will cover absolutely everything you need to know. Even if you don’t know how to design a website, I cover outsourcing. Even if you don’t know how to do Local SEO for clients, and can’t afford to outsource it, I show you the basics in how you will rank the majority of clients you will ever have. Maybe you want to offer Reputation Management services, I show you how to do that as well.
Whatever you need to get started, is covered in this blueprint.
So that to me is section 5, yes?
Also your answer to wb_man was of interest to me:
Originally Posted by wb_man View Post
what services do you offer? web design and seo?
how many clients do you need to make 30k/month?
Sorry I guess I was responding when you edited your post.
I offer a variety of services. Website Design, SEO, PPC, ORM, etc. However, Web Design and SEO are probably my favorites… I definitely lead in with web design more than any other service.
so a huge question is when you scrape for leads via mobile renegade are you looking to lead in with web design?
My thoughts were that so many businesses I think are unhappy with the results with their existing site that leading in with a solution to a specific problem might be a better approach? That’s where BL service would come in, to scrape for specific problems and lead in with that specific solution. White label the report for them, then once have some trust with real results add on the other services?
An I anywhere near on track or just all over the place.?
Paul, do you have Skype? This stuff would be good to cover in the skype group. Just email me your skype user ID and I’ll add you in!
Yes I guess that was a mouth full !!
paul.mahoney7455
Thanks,
off for another 12 hour day delivering freight.
OK time has been tight but with your link have started with Bright Local.
Ran a report on a local jeweler that I know just to see what it would show.
Off-site SEO…..Poor
On-site SEO….. ok
Search Ranking avg…………..good
Local Search ranking avg…..good
Google+ Local listing………..Poor
Local Directory listing……… Poor
How do i learn what needs to be done to “fix” his problems? Anything in the Blueprint that i’m not seeing?
Thanks, Paul
off to twelve hours of AAA towing
I added you on Skype, but I don’t think you accepted my contact request yet. Bright Local is specifically a local SEO tool. You would use it so you can duplicate what others have done, while also picking up weaknesses that your client has. You really wouldn’t use it unless you had a local SEO client. How to fix the problem? Usually the problem is they aren’t ranking, right? You would use the info to increase their rankings, or better optimize their site, google my business page, or listings.
Maybe something I should do is document how to use Bright Local to enhance your SEO efforts.
Yes thanks, after using it, seems a great tool for local. Local is what we are after with your blueprint. Bright Local site promotes using their reports as white label to promote our own services. if i’m understanding it.
Yes document is helpful, and they have quite a few in their library. but never can have too much knowledge