Skills you need to develop for successful online business
Tried peeling potatoes without using a peeler? Or tried changing a tire without a car jack? These tasks may be possible, but it’s extremely difficult without the right tools and skills. Developing a solid online business can be quite a pain if you lack the basic skills for your business. And especially when you are running on a tight budget, it’s very essential that you perfect the ‘essentials’.
There are certain ingredients required to build an online business, and without the right tools and skills, you will find yourself at the bottom of the Everest, and it’s very difficult to surmount it if you are unskilled in some key areas.
When I first started my journey on the internet, I was naive. The only way to build a website I thought that existed was the good old HTML editor, and the only skill needed I thought was to be a good and thorough HTML coder. But there is much more to a website business than just an interconnection of dull static HTML pages.
In the next two years, I devoted to learning about every technology that I came across and could help in building my business. I assimilated loads of stuff, understanding which skills can make a direct and sustainable impact on my profitability and working. Most of the skills required can be outsourced and shelling out money on workable systems like SBI. But I preferred building my business right from the scratch making use of the free sources available on the internet.
Internet business skills development
Creativity: A highly creative idea can make your business stand away from the crowd. Why do you think a simple white page and a search algorithm is the most powerful internet company in the world? Yes … because of its creativity. Google identified a way of making search over the internet as easy as having a sandwich, and the rest is history.
Truly speaking, coming up with a creative idea is the single-most activity which you cannot outsource to others for your web business. Being creative does not necessarily mean to always come up with entirely new concepts. Though absolutely new ideas are the most welcome. Refinement of existing concepts and plugging the bugs in an existing one is also an exercise in creativity.
I tested a number of methods to brainstorm creative ideas for my site. I visited many websites like Steve Pavlina and read techniques suggested in the books Getting Things Done. Coming up with a creative and valuable idea is the foundation on which your new website business will be built. Make sure you get it right.
Web-Savvy-ness: Being web-savvy is a primary skill to develop for a solid online business. Know why? Because it is … yes … an ONLINE business.
You don’t need to be an expert but must be aware of the following technologies:
• Search Engine Optimization
• Blogging and Forums
• CSS editing
• Podcasting
• Link Building & Traffic Generation
• Email Marketing
• Web Security
• Affiliate Marketing
Networking – In my interview with social media marketing expert Neil Patel, Neil emphasizes that networking has been the most essential ingredient of his success over the internet.
Networking is the key to success for a business in the offline world, and in the online world, it’s no different. You need network of people to link to your websites, to provide reviews and feedback and also find clients over the web.
Online networking is a skill which you need to perfect before you prepare yourself for big business success or “a small business success” … whatever is applicable to you. Networking takes time, but the time is very well invested. Making friends with big bloggers and internet successes can help your plunge into the internet business scenario to be smooth and profitable.
Interviewing big bloggers like Leo Babauta, Mani Karthik, and Neil Patel helped me attract a lot of traffic and excellent links in the early days of my sites. However, networking isn’t easy. You need to be genuine, make excellent comments on their sites, and ask relevant questions before they really heed your request for further interaction.
Copywriting – Art of writing excellent articles, posts as well as sales copy will do your business tons of good if you are a good copywriter. Selling on the net occurs primarily through the written medium, and writing a persuasive sales copy is an essential if you plan to sell through the internet. Most of the traffic building, link building, and networking activities happen through blog posts or personal emails to various webmasters.
I have basically picked my writing skills from imitating writing styles of other successful bloggers, and Ken Envoy’s free e-Books Make Your Words Sell and Make Your Content Pre-sell.
Taking your basic skills for an online business to a comfortable level requires some perseverance before you start raking in the big bucks from the business. Just hang in there, try new things, enjoy your work, and success is surely going to roll in.