“Go back to your job!” some friends would tell me when I started facing my first serious issues in my online venture. It is also a very common expression – and a pathetic one as well – traditional people have said to internet pioneers in the past, in order to wake them up from their insane delusions. It’s a very annoying phrase that can demolish the ambitious dreams of young entrepreneurs today.
In the middle of a serious economic crisis, financial instability is still on the rise. Therefore, many people are searching for either a supplementary means of making extra income or a way of curing their financial slavery. One of the major places that people turn to face this unfavorable condition is the internet which offers an abundance of opportunities, by starting an online business and creating an active online presence.
You may have gone through the initial stages of establishing your online business and now it seems that everything is under control or you may be one of those who are new to the internet and strive hard to make it work. But you still have one thing bothering you; how to tell your friends or more importantly your mom/spouse (I’m not joking) or other family members about your newfound business. I understand that saying those words can be difficult, especially when there is no physical office or tangible products you can show them; everything is virtual so you don’t want your business to sound too good to be true.
It is even more difficult for people like me who had quit their job completely and delved into the online entrepreneurship world passionately. People relate a job to a specific place you go to every morning perhaps with a particular dress code. Moms, especially, will often boast that their child became hired by a big company without knowing how it feels to work for one and what the cost really is in the long run. Instead, when they see you in your pajamas sitting for hours in front of your PC, then they figure something is definitely going wrong. They just can’t understand it. So, here is what we did the first year of setting up our business from home:
Tell Them The Facts
When my brother started his own online business, my parents were strongly opposed to this new “madness”, because they couldn’t understand how their PhD biologist son had quit his “super” job as a scientist in a cancer research lab, to follow his passion for online business and freedom. What they didn’t know then was that that first year had made double the money with his affiliate marketing blog offering reviews and coupons than as an established AHA researcher. It took some time, but they finally started thinking out of their conventional box. Believe me: if you go straight into telling them how much you love your online business it won’t help at all. Present the statistics that helped you decide on this business. Show them the data so they understand that you didn’t just jump into online business out of your impulsiveness.
Convince Them About Your Capabilities
Your loved ones will have doubts if you don’t convince them that you can handle this business effectively. One way of doing this is by showing them that you have passion for the online business. This is the only way they can be convinced into supporting you, either emotionally or even financially, at least for the first months. By all means, avoid giving them the impression that you do this as your new hobby which you will eventually quit. They won’t take you seriously.
Make Them Respect Your Working Hours
You must help your family members and loved ones understand that working from home doesn’t mean you are always available for all sorts of errands in the house. Just like your parents or spouse goes to work or to the office in the morning, let your family members know that you must keep your working hours and strictly follow your daily work routine as a professional. Tell them that you must not be disturbed during that time period.
Be very firm and let them know where you stand, that you take your business seriously and can’t leave your desk when you are supposed to be working. And of course, you can’t have your Messenger or Viber on or reply to funny gifs just because you are online. Keep away from Facebook too. I often find myself watching airplane landings on YouTube, but I am working on it.
Share Some Success Stories
Yes, success can be copied most of the time. Many people are attracted by a profession because they have met a mentor who inspired them towards that profession. Let your family members and friends understand that many people have succeeded doing the same thing you are starting. Let them know it is doable as long as there is a plan and will to work.
Availability of Resources
One of the fears that your family might have is that you will be staying at home and may never get to know more than you already do, in order to succeed. Tell them that the internet alone has a huge range of resources which will teach you all you need to know. Many internet-made millionaires share their secrets on a daily basis; make your family understand that you are about to follow their steps and are not wandering blindly.
Create Awareness
You have told your family and loved ones about your business. You now have to make a business presentation to show them the benefits of having an online business. Perhaps somebody around you may have been thinking towards this direction too but haven’t had a clear understanding of how it all works. This way, you will keep expanding, growing your business, attracting more support and gaining the ground and confidence you need for success.
Let’s face it. We do something most people can’t even think of doing because they are trapped inside their own way of thinking as they identify themselves with their profession e.g. I am a dentist, I am banker, I am an accountant. To quit your ordinary job and dedicate yourself in your online business requires first a big change in your way of thinking. Sometimes, the very first person we have to fight against in order to get out of the box and security is our own self. That’s exactly why we need our own people to stand by us, support us and understand what we do and where we want to go. Let’s share with them our dreams and let them know that they are in them too.
