Got a job - unfortunately

You can lose it all even if you do commit 100%.

Yeah, I can see how the emails didn't work out. We've sent millions in 2013 and the sales generated from that wouldn't have kept me afloat even if I were working from home.

Sorry things didn't work out. I appreciate this post though. It really sticks out to me. For what you aren't willing to do in order to gain success, there are countless others out there willing to step out of the comfort zone and do whatever it takes. Realizing that, it seems pretty important to stay on top of your game or any one of us could end up falling out.

The biggest thing that held me back is being pretty good at many things.
I am pretty good at copy, graphic design, coding, building sites, video creation yada yada...

It is only when I learned to spend 90% of my time doing what I am best at and outsourcing the rest did everything change.

Not being good on the phone is no big deal, hire someone that is good at it.
Just do whatever part you are best at!

As an aside I have never hammered the phones nor has anyone that works for me.
I like automation. Fax, email, posting to directories, posting to forums, responding to the gazillion posts all over the place from people seeking help etc..

We always give them a bit of info, drive them to pages that pre-qualify them and if we ever end up on the phone it is because the requested a call.

Find a 20 hr a week job to survive and spend 4 hrs a day cold calling. Learn how to sell, surrender to the process completely and you will make it through.

Selling isn't hard, but it IS hard work like everything else.

Emails don't sell, they open the door a little so your call isn't ice cold.

There are plenty of things you can do to differentiate the call so the decision maker treats you different.

So many other ways to market:

on and offline networking - meetup

speaking

put your own small group of business owners together and do a Q and A session
about your best subjects

writing and syndicating articles
writing books

contribute your expertise to local print and radio media

good online presence and content - your own website, linked in, local search, SEO...

If selling, isn't your thing...then either hire or partner up with someone, that can sell well. Not all are great sales people. Sales is something, that you stick with and you eventually get better. As Frank Kern says "If you can sell, then the world is your playground".

I can relate to your frustration as I hear similar stories every day. Over the years of being in the marketing and advertising business I have learned one very important thing. You are either a salesperson or you are a marketing consultant. A salesperson looks for clients to sell and a consultant provides solutions for clients that search him out.

Too many offline marketers spend way too much time and energy selling rather than marketing. Marketing not only can produce business for your clients but it is essential in getting clients for your business.

My only recommendation to you to turn your business around is to start marketing you, your business and your products and services and you will see clients coming to you rather than you walking, talking and dialing. (The old school)

Just a comment from an old marketer

Don't feel bad and don't worry about it.

There is no rule that you can't change direction in your career.

Look at your career and life as a stream - it changes direction and follows the best path downhill. You are going to work the rest of your life no matter what. Work defines us as long as we control and define our work.

I have left business and jumped into a job before. I personally know many very successful entrepreneurs (I can think of 5 that I could text right now), who have made millions, who left their own businesses to jump into a job or executive role.

Seriously, it's not a mark of shame at all. You have gained valuable knowledge and experience from your time. Make sure you use it to further your next phase of work.

The key is not to just take any old job that you are going to hate. Pull all your experience together, and get a job that follows the path you want. In the interview, tell them "I just want to do X - not the selling, not the accounting, not the hiring, not the customer service...I am very, very good at X - and I want to be able to focus on doing that type of work for you."

I have no doubt that I will, at some point, jump into a company that I do not own. I will be shooting for an executive position because that fits where the arc of my career is.

Look man, this is your life. Love it. Grow it. Follow your folly. Build one step upon the next. And most of all never, ever apologize for who you are, where you are, or what you have tried to accomplish.

From my experience working at VIP Affiliates one thing I learned being in this buisness is that you have to be persistant. One email/call is usually not enough to get clients on board. It takes time and belief that what you have to offer is unique and there is no way that the potential client will not want the product offered.

Also, when an opportunity arrives to close a deal it's all about taking it before the opportunity vanishes.

First thing I want to point out is that you were a horrid boss. If you were a manager working for a company and your team got no results would you have a job? Of course not. As a boss you didn't hold yourself (the employee in this case) accountable.

Managing yourself is no different than managing others. That is a big problem I see with people who want to work for themselves. Working for yourself should, at least in the beginning, suck. It should be harder than working for someone else.

• It means longer hours
• It means less pay
• It means being micromanaged (though by yourself not a separate boss)
• It means failing and getting back up because there is no one to cover your ass
• It means putting it all on the line

So if you had "freedom" and were not getting results you were doing it wrong.

Now if you are truly planning to do it again and do it right here is what you need to do.

• Figure out how you sell best (in person? on the phone?) and commit to that method
• Create a schedule for yourself. (example: Cold Walk 9am to 5pm everyday minus Sunday unless you don't get a sale and than cold walk till 9pm)
• Create goals and quota for yourself (basically be a sales manager to yourself)
• Create rewards and punishments for yourself. (5 sales in a week? Treat yourself to dinner. Miss your quota? Work Sunday that week.)

To get your business off the ground you really have to look back on your time as an employee as the good old days. Unless you are successful from day one you should hate your choice to be your own business. I know that sounds harsh and maybe it is but until you are at least relatively successful that is the life of a business owner.



Once you get it off the ground then you can set a schedule that creates the income and life you want. Hell maybe you want a 3 day work week. If you can pull that off by all means do but to get to that you have got to pay the dues up front to get the business going.


Finally I want you to remember that being your own boss does not mean freedom. As an employee you only had to worry about doing ____. As your own boss you have all that plus everything else that comes with running a business. You take on all that because with great risk comes great reward. But right now there is a 25ft wall in your way and you need to scale it.

Are you ready to scale that wall?