The Most Profitable "First Step" I Ever Took Online...

8 replies
I remember selling my online fitness business back in 2009.

The money I got from that sale allowed me to take enough time off, from
work, to plan on what my next adventure would be.

I had started online in 2002, and spent several years learning the ins and outs
of how to build a profitable online business.

It certainly wasn't an overnight success... but I did find that I LOVED
the journey of learning about marketing, copy, traffic, and all the other
pieces of an online business.

So, in 2009, when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do next...
I simply took this one step and it made ALL the difference in the world.

I started with the END in mind, and then worked backwards.

In other words, I thought about what kind of online business I wanted
to build next, and how I was going to get there.

So, I took days to picture my ideal business scenario and what
would become my own little perfect world, in which I would create
how I wanted.

I thought of the kind of client I wanted to work with.

I thought of the kind of work I wanted to do.

And I thought of the type of lifestyle and day I wanted to have
in my business.

From the ideal "end goal" in mind... I went to work and reverse
engineered everything. I worked backwards... from the ideal
vision of what I wanted... and put into play the steps I'd need
to take.

Back then, my ideal business was writing long form sales letters
in the fitness niche.

So, I thought about how I'd attract the ideal client and those I wanted
to work with.

I'd create Google Adwords to speak clearly to just these people
who needed help with fitness copy, knew it would be a decent size
investment, and those who were ready to act now.

I also thought about all of the kinds of marketing and copy I had
done over the last 7 years of building my business up to the million
dollar per year mark... and tried to think of what I excelled in.

It turned out it was long form sales letters, so I decided to become
well known for that.

I worked hard to build my experience and expertise in writing
long form copy.

The end result was a business I loved, made a lot of money in,
and also had clients coming to me, after a while, because my name
was making the rounds as someone who did long form fitness copy.

The bottom line is, no matter what you're doing online, right now,
you can set it up to be the perfect kind of business YOU want.

Because why NOT? It's your business, so why not set it up to be
the best of what you want?

Why not work with the clients you want to help?

Why not focus on the kind of projects and work you love doing?

Whether it's video sales letters, or website design, writing emails,
or coaching... focus on what you love, get really good at it, and
keep fine tuning your craft.

Over time, you'll start to build a following of those who know
and appreciate your work, and you'll be able to attract them, versus
having to spend a lot of money on advertising.

When you're in business for yourself, YOU make the rules.

You do the work you want, you do the work you love, and you
work with the clients you want to work with.

Of course, you need to be doing work that others will pay
for... but there's no use in building a business doing work you
don't like, for people you don't want to work with.

Instead, focus on attracting your ideal clients... people who you
feel are a great fit for you.

Then, focus on becoming great at doing a specific kind of work...
something that is in demand and that you love doing.

I promise, when you start with the end in mind and work backwards...
you'll be able to take the steps to create the kind of online business
you look forward to working on.

And it's NEVER too late to change what you're doing, if it's not
what you enjoy.

Life's too short to spend time doing work you hate, or working
for clients you don't like.

Instead, picture in your mind what your ideal business looks
like, who you're working with and what you're doing...

And then, work backwards on each step, so you can reverse
engineer the entire process and start to bring your vision of
your ideal online business to life.
#first step #online #profitable
  • Profile picture of the author Enfusia
    I like the part about finding what you like and doing that.

    I tell people to find what gets them off (not sexually), Find what you'd do for free, then go do that as a business.

    I've yet have anyone come up with something that could not be turned into a business.

    Thanks!
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  • Profile picture of the author Risktaker89
    Inspiring.

    Starting with the END in mind and working backwards is one of the smartest strategy.

    Lost of golden nuggets.

    Thanks for the great read!
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  • This is one of the good post, it motivated me to start my old business one more time.
    this 21st century online marketing is hot.

    .
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  • Profile picture of the author noobfunnelz
    very inspiring man.. good luck
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  • Profile picture of the author spartan14
    Your method consist also of vizualization process and its very important .I think mindset its the most important think in business and life in general .In affiliate marketing more than 50% its mindset
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  • Profile picture of the author maxsi
    Good stuff.
    many people prefer "done for you" businesses now in 2017 because they are very easy to start and they requires 3 minute per day (easy managing).

    personally I make $5K or more per week thanks to done for you businesses, plus you get recurring income every week on autopilot.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve B
    Shawn, thank you for your sage advice, as always.

    You know, sometimes we learn that what we dream doesn't always align with our expectation of happiness once we experience that dream-come-true in real life. We find that our dream wasn't what we expected, or it wasn't that fulfilling after all ... like we had imagined.

    Your "perfect business" may not end up being so perfect for you once you actually experience it.

    The wonderful thing about Shawn's process of working backward and starting with the end in mind ... is that you can always refine your dreams and refocus your efforts as you move forward.

    Many, many very successful entrepreneurs end up having a great business that looked nothing like what they imagined when they first got started. As they built their business, new and unanticipated angles and opportunities opened up that were not part of their original plans!

    The best to all of you,

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    Love the idea of working backwards. Been telling people that for years when it comes to the numbers, but it's a wonderful idea in the "what do I want to be when I grow up" phase, too.

    One of the side benefits is that it helps you focus your day to day actions. When presented with a new shiny object, simply ask yourself "does this support what I want, at the point I'm at now?" If the answer is yes, do your due diligence and make a decision. If the answer is no, ignore it and keep moving along your map.
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