Working On Your Online Business Could Be So Much Easier

photo credit: Mr. T in DC

There’s an old saying in life that if you do what you love. You’ll love what you do.

It might sound simplistic, but it’s a great mantra for blogging, online business in general and even life overall!

Have you noticed that when you love doing a task or project, it seems to get done really quickly, but when you’re not interested in it, the project always seems to slope down your ‘things to do’ list and end up on the bottom, being delayed or ignored?

It’s a fact of life that people work best when they have a genuine interest in their subject.

How online opportunities provide platforms for passion

The best part of running an online business and choosing to blog is that the majority of us have decided to be online entrepreneurs as a direct result of having a passion or interest in the business.

People who love animals tend to make really enthusiastic dog groomers or trainers.

People with a real passion for nutrition make great bloggers on diet, health and wellbeing.

IT boffins write passionate articles about software and servers.

When we decide what to focus upon for our online business, the likelihood is that we are selecting an industry field which we are knowledgeable about, experienced in, and genuinely interested in.

This comes across in great writing, a zest for keeping the business up to date, positive and engaging communications and a drive to share what we know, support our customers, and offer our experience up to help others in our industry sector.

Why choosing a business focus through a desire for profit won’t work

Conversely, if we seize on an idea for a business which looks to be really lucrative, and we start out online because we know there is a demand for the service, but we don’t really like the industry sector or the service itself, this lack of enthusiasm will eventually be the downfall of our venture.

If we wake up every morning dreading the day ahead, because we know it involves writing about researching, and discussing an industry for which we have no real affinity or passion, we’ll soon get to a point where we simply can’t bring ourselves to do the work necessary to make the business flourish.

Sometimes it can be difficult to take what we are passionate about and turn it in to a viable business proposition.

We need to strike a balance between doing what we love, and making sure that there is a real appetite for it, online.

That way, our customers will see our enthusiasm and sense that we are true believers in our cause, and willing to champion our products and services based upon a genuine commitment and interest in what we are doing.

How to strike the balance between enthusiasm and demand

Just because we love birds, for example, doesn’t mean that there is a customer demand for a site about bird watching online.

However, if we do enough research we might find that there IS a demand for a site which shows how to make bird boxes, or sells bird seed.

So, by choosing a subject which we love and then doing research to determine how that can translate in to a viable business, we can find a balance between our enthusiasm, and customer demand.

Often, I see openings and opportunities online for new ideas or business ventures which I am convinced would be popular, lucrative and successful.

The problem is, when I actually analyse my motivation for seizing on a particular idea, I realise that I’m approaching it from the perspective of what will work, rather than what I know about and understand.

So, it’s a good idea to ask the following questions every time you consider a new online venture:

• Do I know enough about the subject to blog with authority and confidence?

• Can I see myself writing about this subject in two years time, with passion and enthusiasm?

• Do I like the idea? Would I be proud to own it and make it work?

• Am I really committed to this venture as a long-term, strategic direction for my own career and my business?

If the answer to any of those questions is no, you pretty much know it’s not going to be a sustainable venture for you to undertake.

Similarly, when you have an idea based upon what you love, you have to ask the following:

• Is there a real customer appetite for my idea?

• Is there a way of taking my interest and making profit from it online?

• Are there already people doing the same thing, better, in this industry sector?

• Am I considering this as a business simply because I like the subject?

• Is there a new, interesting angle or approach that I could take to make this really work as a viable business enterprise?

By asking these questions, you’ll soon be able to separate your interest from customer demand, and assess whether or not doing what you love, and loving what you do, is enough to turn a profit and make a living for yourself, online.