Have you been sitting on the fence, forever ‘thinking about’ someday, somehow you will start your own business online? Unfortunately it will never happen unless you just do it. Don’t over-think it or find reasons that you can’t do it right now, or would fail anyway. Don’t wait until you can afford it or for just the ‘right time’, because you could go on waiting forever without actually even trying it.
Even if you have taken the first mini-step and have started to research this, don’t get ‘paralysis by analysis’. It just does not have to be that complicated – ever. If you have basic computer skills, a PC and an Internet connection, you can literally start taking action this very day! Don’t worry that this is not exactly what you had in mind, just try something and test the waters. You can refine your choices later on when you have your bearings.
One way to experiment is to join a couple free Internet marketing programs to get in behind the scenes. If you don’t like what you see, cancel it within 30-days or during whatever trial period they may offer. If it is something you think you could do at least to learn the ropes, and they require an inexpensive upgrade to stay in, then go ahead and pay for it. Again, it doesn’t have to be your dream business – just look at it as a learning experience.
It is likely that the program will have instructions and resources that you can use as a member. Read all about it – what are they talking about? Learn everything you can. When you see terminology that you don’t quite understand, just go to a search engine like Google.com. Enter the phrase there and see what you can learn. However, again – don’t get hung up on learning. Just get as much information as you need to take action. Then see what happens.
As time goes by if you stick with it, and maybe even join a few more programs, you will keep learning more and more. For example join programs that offer various tools to help you advertise your online business. Learn how they work and try them out. Most are very easy to use if you can just follow basic instructions.
Don’t worry about becoming a millionaire over night at this stage! Don’t get in a rush – if you have to pay a measly $10 here or there – look at it as the cost to learn something new. Sure it is a gamble, but so is waking up every day. We do not know what will happen or how things will go – in our favor or not. We do not let this keep us from putting our best foot forward!
Be sure to save all receipts because if you actually pursue this, everything is a business tax deduction when you itemize your taxes. Be sure you can document everything that you claim. You can do this even if you do not make a profit. Check the federal and state tax websites for the current laws and regulations every year to be sure, but usually you can claim expenses for a few years without making a profit. Beyond that however, they will deem it a ‘hobby’ not a ‘business’ and you will not be able to claim those deductions.
To minimize the stress you may be feeling about whether or not you will be able to create a successful home business, you could even look at this as a hobby right now. Still, keep the receipts where you can find them, in case you see that this is really feasible and you could start earning extra money from home, and itemizing deductions! Even if you work at a full-time job and pay income taxes there, you can still file to claim deductions for a home business (and of course report any extra income you may receive).
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