Can you share your 3 biggest obstacles when first starting to have a business online?

1. Building a team.
2. Financial Management.
3. Client Dependence.

Well, I started getting involved in online marketing 9-10 years ago. I would say that my biggest problems were as follows:

1. Finding a service/product to sell
When I started out, I knew nothing about how things worked in the real world, I was fresh of the benches of school, with 1 year left to go to University. I knew I wanted to run my own business and make money by myself, but I didn't know how. So I read about starting a business, I went on forums, etc. I learned that the most important thing is to sell. So I started learning about selling. Since I wanted to make money online, I also started learning how to build and manage websites. I learned coding. I also learned copywriting and after building my first website (an online magazine selling betting tips), I started freelancing copywriting services. I learned all about persuasion and influence.

2. Marketing vs Sales
When I started making money, my next issue was how can I make a LOT more? I was making around $1000/month. I wanted to make a lot more. So I was actually failing because I was focusing too much on sales, and not on marketing. To focus on sales means that you're focused on closing people. It's much better to focus on building a pipeline of leads, and reaching out to MORE AND MORE people. Because here's the BIG SECRET - if you're a poor salesman but you take MASSIVE marketing action, you will outperform an amazing salesman who doesn't take massive marketing action. 1% conversions on 300 leads beats 20% conversions on 10 leads. So my second issue was focusing on the wrong things, instead of focusing on marketing. Sometimes I would have periods with no clients, because I was focused on closing people, but not on my pipeline of business.

3. Hiring people and building a team so that I don't have to do all the work
In the end, if you want to scale, you can't do everything. You should focus on marketing and sales, and let others focus on the other aspects of the business. It's difficult at first, but it's similar to getting your sales up and going. Marketing is more important than being talented at closing. Take MASSIVE action.

My 3 main problems in the not exactly in any order of importance are:
1. Available and appropriate relevant learning materials on where to start from so as not to re-invent the wheel, so to speak and the cost involved in seeking that appropriate and relevant knowledge
2. The appropriate and relevant tools and software to achieve my goals and the cost associated in acquiring the appropriate technology, software and tools including setup, installation and subsequent running of the system, and again the cost associated in setting up and running such a system.
3. Finance, financing of the steps in (1) and (2) are very important as stated above cost and cost, you must prepare your mind to invest in the system and the running of it.
4. If you have all the above, TIME becomes the most important thing to worry about.

You can therefore merge (1) and (2) into one and then you have your 3 most important worries you will have.

With hard work and perseverance you will surely succeed.
Evans Tomety
theaffiliates.group

Er... I just started to learn how to do business online, and yes, I do have the same first obstacle like all you do.
I don't even know whether internet marketing is the same with affiliate marketing or mobile marketing...
Find the direction could be the most difficult thing for me for the time being.

Look forward to share my second and third obstacles here soon.

Amos
---------------
Always believe that good things are about to happen

1. Lack of experience. I have done a lot of mistakes, spent much time on things that were not needed and so on.
2. Build the team. It is simple to create a code, design and so on. But relations ship inside the team is very different thing. Especially, if each partner has his own point of view.
3. Customers attracting. We were able to create anything, the only problem was to find customer. I have spent much time to read articles, attend courses, paid for consultations and so on.

1.) Committing to personal development: If you want to be successful in business, you must commit to changing yourself as a person and committing to the process of learning, which takes time. Many people want the instant gratification of making money right now, so when the the results don't come, they quickly develop shiny object syndrome and move on the next thing.
2.) Time Management: When you become your own boss, there is no one to tell you what to do but YOU! If you don't have the focus and discipline to do what is required, you simply won't succeed online.
3.) Spending to much time Learning and Not enough time taking action: Once you choose your online business model, you need to take action on what you're learning. That's where the real learning takes place, and that's how you get results the fastest.

Surprisingly, I have never had an issue with traffic, but I am always suffering with either the product research or because the people I am working with arent as driven as me, so whatever takes me one working day to complete and come up with, my partners take weeks to complete.

The usual excuse of real life drama is always the first thing they resort to lol.

First of all congratulation on starting a new business and hope you go miles on your journey.
Although, I'm a businessman but being a part of a cooperative firm I feel my director has to face the following 3 problems:
1. Getting new ideas to grow the business.
2. Keeping the employees happy and at the same time under control.
3. Creating a team that is productive.

Great thread - extremely helpful.

As i'm just getting started, my current challenges are:

1. Information. There is so much. Figuring out who to trust, learn from, and take actionable lessons from and execute.
2. New ideas. Seems like every idea i come up with has been done already. Trying to find something that is scalable and not completely abused already.
3. Tools. Figuring out which ones I need and which ones are overkill.

1. Staying on brand
2. Keeping a narrow focus
3. Separating from the field

1. Lack Of Investment
2. Lack Of Workable Knowledge
3. Fear of Fail

The main one is procrastinating. It's so hard to start any business because to build a business you need to create and to complete so many tasks, procrastinating makes it super hard. What i found and really helped me to focus and do required tasks for my business to grow is simply method, i bought a whiteboard and every evening i wrote what i need to do tomorrow, so when i wake up ,i see the tasks and it pushes me to complete the tasks, try it.

Second one is fear to fail. You must understand that 1 out of 10 tries will be successful, this is how it is, no magic here, you just need to fail before succeed.

And the last one is your mindset. There is one super method which 100% works ,trust me. Just try each day to imagine what you want to have (money, house, nice car) , think about it and believe that you will reach your dreams, trust me, if you honestly think that you will get the card or nice house, eventually universe will make you get all these things.

Similar problems for me too, not knowing were to focus my energy. I was jumping from Shiny object to shiny object not really knowing were i wanted to be. Finally understanding that i needed to serve an audience. Learning who my audience is, what problems can i solve for them and giving them great value was a really big turning point for me. As i now no what products Are best for certain audiences i have build trust with through my email marketing strategy

Sometimes modeling after the best in your market and Budget are not aligned.


The tedious mundane techy steps that you hesitate to outsource because you feel training someone is also a task .


Faceless Branding for easier Transition if Selling Business to create another.

Hello, I am experiencing the same thing, I'm having issues with getting more traffic to my capture page/ optin. I'm trying facebook ads right now and I'm still waiting to get approved so now I'm just viewing other forms of traffic generation websites.