12 Questions I Asked Myself Before Starting An Online Marketing Business
(#6 was definitely the one that pushed me over the brink)
Before I decided to enter the field of online marketing, I asked myself some serious questions to discover if this was really the right niche for me.
1. “Why do I want my own Internet Marketing Business?”
Before deciding to start a business, I had to think about the qualities I had and how they might help make me a more successful business owner.
2. “What interests, talents, skills and strengths do I have?”
This prompted me to inventory the abilities I already possessed. I wrote each one down then thought about all the ways I could use them to grow my business, help others grow their business, and also work with partners who possess the abilities I lack.
3. “What are my strengths and weaknesses?”
As a potential business entrepreneur, the ability to recognize my own strengths and weaknesses was invaluable. Recognizing what I was good at, and what I wasn’t, helped me decide how to use my time to set up my business, and when and what to outsource to the experts or outside professionals.
4. “What skills do I need to learn or brush up on?”
I realized I needed to recognize which skills I had to develop in order to run my business most effectively. Again, I identified the ones that were worth investing more time into learning, and which ones I might be better off outsourcing to the experts.
5. “Do I enjoy challenges?”
I knew digital marketing would provide constant challenges. But I was definitely up for the task and knew it would energize me. But beware if you’re not. You may end up feeling as though you’re engaged in a challenge that’s a constant uphill battle.
6. “Will I be doing work that is meaningful and really interests and excites me?”
I always knew that being engaged in doing something rewarding would help motivate me to keep going even when things got tough. So I decided to start by getting back in touch with my values to see if there was a synergy between them and the things I would be doing in my business. That’s when I realized after 20+ years overseeing and directing marketing in the physical world, it would be both rewarding and exciting to see how I could participate in the cyber world.
7. “Do I really have a money-making idea?”
I realize not all great ideas make money. A good business idea addresses a problem, need or pain that a particular group of people or company faces. And the situation must be significant enough to warrant spending money to solve or alleviate the problem. So before I attempt to bring a new product or service to market, I plan to test my idea and make sure it’s relevant and profitable.
8. “Who are my ideal target customers?”
Every business needs customers. So in order for my business to be successful, I need to know exactly how to describe who my best customers are, what pains they’re feeling, what they need, want, and desire and, (most importantly) what they are willing to pay.
9. “Who is my competition?”
I continue to learn everything I can about the others in my field who provide similar products or services to the same customer target as I have identified. Whether they are direct or indirect competitors, I’ve learned that the more I know about the way they market their products (emails, websites, blogs, etc.) the smarter I become, and the better I can serve my customers.
10. “What do I offer that the competition doesn’t?”
I’ve always stressed the importance of knowing what makes your services or product unique above other competitors? You must identify your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) and what you’ll use to make your prospective customers buy your product or service instead of buying from your competition. I always ask myself “Why should my customers make me their marketer of choice?” Then I adjust my marketing strategy based on the answer.
11. “Have I established business goals?”
I knew setting goals would be an important part of my business plan. But I realized it was only part of the picture. Achieving these goals was even more important. So I identified which goals were important enough to commit to. Once I identified my goals, I systematically broke them down into steps, established timelines, located resources needed, and set benchmarks for success.
12. “Am I a self-starter?”
After owning an ad agency for more than 20 years, I already knew that one of the best reasons for running your own business was there’s no boss or manager telling you what to do and when to do it. I also knew owning your own business can be one of the most challenging, frustrating — yet rewarding endeavors one can make. So, Yes, I’ve already proven to be a Self-Starter. Now, I’m happy to say, I’ve become a Re-Starter!
| Ever wonder how I’ve been able to learn the ways of navigating the cyber passageways of Digital Marketing in such a short time?
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Well here’s the scoop: I’ve been researching this niche for the past year and have followed (and purchased products from) some of the most successful digital marketers on the internet. The one thing most of these top sellers have in common is the fact that they got their insights and training through the John Thornhill 
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