So…for those of you who don’t have a business idea yet, I see this pattern over and over and over. People get STUCK in what they can sell, where they should focus, etc.
I notice there are THREE stages in many online business journeys. And in all three stages, you can make money.
Stage One – Skill + Service
Skill growth is the easiest place to start for 2 reasons. One, you don’t need a following, and two, you learn skills and then turn around and sell those skills. Digital Marketing, VA, FB AD Agencies, Copywriting, etc.
Stage Two – Community + Brand
The second stage I call Community Growth, and this is what happens after you’ve really mastered a skill. Usually you start to build more than a network of clients, you start to build a following around your expertise and passions. You can make money here with coaching, consulting, affiliate marketing, blogging, etc.
Stage Three – Movement + Scale
The third stage is movement growth. This is the stage with products, courses, SaaS and things like this start to develop, and where scaling REALLY happens.
So many people want to skip the first two phases but almost every successful person in Internet Marketing you see today, followed this path in some shape or form.
Now…you can skip Stage One and go RIGHT to Stage Two when you begin, but it means you need CAPITAL. Because if you don’t know the skills, you’ll have to pay someone to do the things you need done. This is very common if you show up on the Internet scene and decide you want to be a coach, consultant, course creator, etc.
By the way, Stages One and Two do blur together at some point once you’re established.
So knowing this, if you identify what stage you’re starting (1 or 2) then you can start to see what sort of business you should focus on depending on your stage.
Trying to jump into phase 3 before either 1 or 2 is really really really really hard.
How You Get The Money
In Stage One, it’s a lot of “door to door” marketing. This means referral, networking, events, Facebook groups, LinkedIn, etc. Joining the Create Your Laptop Life Program is a MUST for anyone in either Stage One or Stage Two.
If you are in Stage Two + Three, your primary method of selling happens through list building and funnels.
In The Digital Gangsta, I teach you how to do Stage Two + Three for your clients, and in the bonus materials, I teach you how find clients as a business owner in Stage One.
I find that if you decide to start with Stage One, it’s best to not worry so much about niche, and instead – just look for anyone with a problem you can solve. Then, start to hone in on who those people are.
Here are a few posts that discuss online business and niches more in depth…
When you become a Digital Marketer, you need to understand this general pattern, as well as the different ways that online business grow, so you can charge a LOT of money to build other businesses!
You also need to recognize that the way to get business as a Digital Marketer in Stage One is often more referral and network based than the methods you’re using to build non-marketing businesses.
Hope that helps!
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