There are a lot, and I really mean A LOT, of entrepreneurs that have a fear of offering products for sale online.
Now, you may not have that specific kind of fear, but many others have mentioned over and over again that their fears are holding them back from moving forward in business.
I'd like to examine that topic and see if we can break those fears down and overcome them be (1) identifying the problem, (2) analyzing how and why it happens, (3) proposing solutions that anyone can implement, and (4) moving beyond the barriers that block action.
We will make this a two part series because of the details that we need to discuss!
Lots of new business owners (or would-be owners) have said that they have not been able to start a business because they have been halted in their tracks by one or more crippling, paralyzing roadblocks that they just can't find their way around.
Here are the most often mentioned reasons (fears) for failing to get started:
1. Fear of "spinning wheels" in the wrong niche. Of course, you already understand that Internet business has millions of niches, micro-niches, and sub- sub- niches that can be targeted for sales!
One can literally go many, many levels deep down into a niche and carve out a spot for a thriving business.
It takes real effort, commitment, time and sometimes a little bit of capital to begin attacking a niche. Many folks don't want to waste their valuable time and resources on a niche that will be unprofitable; hence, they study niche after niche trying to find the "perfect" match for their skills, temperament, and knowledge.
Often, the hesitancy about committing to one niche leads to never making a firm decision on any niche.
2. Fear of being able to compete when there are so many other small online businesses vying for customers. Online business is no secret. Over the past 15 years or so the word has gotten out that ordinary folks are making nice incomes online and quitting their day jobs to follow that dream.
It seems as though competition in most every niche is growing steadily. As one does market research it becomes apparent that many others have had similar ideas to yours and they already have a head start on your business.
Soon the new owner begins to doubt his or her ability to position a new business in a niche where others are already dominating the landscape.
3. You would be surprised by the number of people that confess they are hesitant to get started in business because they fear they will fail miserably! No one likes to fail - it's taken as a personal sign of weakness or lack of ability.
For some, at least, the fear of failing is so powerful and strong that it keeps them from ever starting or following through with a business plan!
Yes, there are many things that can go wrong in everyday business and some new business owners are paralyzed by the thought of confronting their own failure at something new.
4. Some people get stuck because they believe that they haven't gained sufficient knowledge and skill to make money online. The challenge with this understandable position is that online business encompasses a huge amount of available knowledge and one could study for the rest of his life and still not learn it all.
Some new business owners could be students from now to eternity and still feel that they didn't "know enough" to get started in solo business.
5. Information overload. Because the Internet is so pervasive, it offers a million ways to make money, millions of products, millions of niches, and endless business models and sales strategies.
It is not uncommon for new business owners to become stalled in their business idea simply because they are faced with myriads of choices and they feel they are not ready to decide on which direction to head without some more analysis.
This fear is similar to number 4 above, but it is different because the entrepreneur has enough knowledge to get going but lacks the discipline to make some key decisions about his business.
6. Fear of the technical aspects of online business. Certain people stall out once they get started in business because they lack the technical background or skill to do some of the "techie" aspects of business creation.
They don't know how to create a web site, make an ebook, set up an autoresponder, register a domain name, ftp files to a server, engage a merchant account, set up a shopping cart, and on and on.
7. Fear the customers will not like something they offer like an email, blog, ebook, or a product or service that is offered by the business owner. Fear of rejection is a powerful emotion and some would-be online business owners allow this fear to overwhelm their desire to begin selling.
In our next edition, we will discuss some ways to overcome these business fears and move forward toward developing a new mindset that is not easily derailed from thinking positively about confronting and overcoming these online selling fears.
[ to be continued in Part 2 ]
