The path of an entrepreneur is riddled with hardship, obstacles, discouragement, unexpected detours, pitfalls, steep ledges and uncertainty. And I wish I could tell you that at the end of every entrepreneur's path is an immense reward for all of their bravery and perspiration - but I'd be lying if I did. The sad truth is that five out of six start-ups will flop, and online, that number is even worse. So why am I saying all this? Well, believe it or not, I'm saying this because I want you to experience wild success in your business.
I want to see your business generate an obscene amount of profits for you - and as a result, I want for you to live a lifestyle that surpasses what you can even imagine at this point. But you're only going to get there if you're on the RIGHT path. You see, most entrepreneurs are destined to fail right from day one because they don't know where they're going in the first place.
They have no clear goal in mind - other than "making money" - and as a result, all of their efforts will be scattered, and while they might be able to generate a small amount of inconsistent revnenue - it will be impossible for them to build any real amount of momentum in their business. And without that (momentum), their business will simply remain in a state of struggle - or it will simply dissolve. So let me share with you a simple formula that will ensure that you are on the right path from day one. If you apply this basic, yet incredibly powerful "system", it will be practically impossible for you to fail with your business - and this formula applies to any market, and any type of business.
Here it is: Research Think Plan Act Test Improve Automate Repeat Now, let's quickly examine each "step" of the formula. Research is crucial. It's honestly easier to sell what people ALREADY buy, but with your own "twist". In other words, develop a unique advantage by being different - but without the risk of "innovating", which can often be a total flop.
Thinking (aka. Brainstorming) is very powerful. I basically go and shop all of my future competitors to see exactly what they're doing. That's a good indication of what will work for me as well.
Strategic Planning is absolutely crucial. You need to have all of your efforts pointing to an overall goal. You need to see the "end" before you even begin. Otherwise, you're doomed. (My two first attempts at entrepreneurialism were total failures because I didn't have a PLAN in place before I started.
I didn't really know what I wanted to accomplish.) Action is everything. If you're not a "go getter", then maybe entrepreneurship isn't for you. You need to be able to think fast, manage other people and persevere through the trials that you will undoubtedly face. Entrepreneurship is NO cakewalk.
But if you're on the right path - it's worth it, big time. Testing is absolutely crucial. Test and track your marketing materials. Test your ads. Test different customer interaction procedures. As much as possible, test every appropriate aspect that has a direct influence on your sales, and the lifetime value of each customer.
And then, based on your results, IMPROVE your business. Did you know that changing just the headline on an advertisement can affect its performance by up to 1900% or more? That's just one example. That principle holds true with every other customer touchpoint in your business. It is very possible to MULTIPLY your revenues with this approach without spending an extra dime on marketing. Automation is what seperates a business from a JOB. If you're not planning to get yourself OUT of the "picture" by working ON your business as opposed to working IN it - then you are setting yourself for failure (or getting burnt out - whichever comes first).
And finally - "repeat". If you're in online business like me, this means that you take everything that worked previously and apply it to your next venture or niche project. And if you're running a single operation (like most businesses), this means that you apply this same formula to expand and grow your business at every level. This has been my "formula" for success as an entrepreneur. There is no secret to doing well in business. It comes down to finding out what's already working, putting your own spin on it, optimizing your results and then setting things up to grow perpetually - without your direct involvement.
This is the "path" that will lead you to success. Which path will you take?.
Chris Rempel recently released a course on Joint Venture Marketing at http://www.InstantJointVentureSuccess.com Chris has also written a variety of other articles on his home page, http://www.JV-Web.com