Thanks to online platforms, it is now possible for anyone to transform a passion and hobby into a lucrative career. But that does not mean it is always an easy process. Running a business inevitably leads to challenges and tricky decisions. - via From Passion To Profit
In the aforementioned article, author Elizabeth Segran touches base on cashing in on the hobbies that you are passionate about. The article offers success stories from six small business entrepreneurs who have done just that.
But why are we bringing this up?
Throughout the article, we notice a trend - the entrepreneurs make a conscious effort to make their business pleasurable for them. They don't focus on the nitty-gritty aspects of business that they are not interested in or do not enjoy - rather they focus on solving their customer's problems with their product or services.
Hold on. Don't focus on the nitty-gritty? But administrative work, accounts, and human resources are a part of any business. Even if you're a one-person business, there will also be customer service that you need to think of.
How do you tackle all that then?
1. Keep It Simple
Focus on only important tasks that are vital to your business operation – hiring, accounts, product creation, marketing and distribution. Strategise how you want to work on each aspect before you jump the gun into expansion. If your foundations are not concrete and too complicated, then you’re going to lose control of it sooner than you think.
Included in this “start simple” strategy is to remove complication that comes from selling your product or service to middlemen. What I mean is, you should avoid, at least at the beginning, from overcomplicating your sales pipeline with wholesale or retail scenarios and instead focus on taking your product direct to the consumer. This will ensure that you control the brand and voice early on, will have a direct communication with your customers for super important feedback and will retain full margin on your sales -- allowing you to reinvest and grow faster without taking on the liability of outside funds or debt. - via The Basics of How I Built a Seven-Figure Business Without Employees
2. Outsource
Don't like handling payroll? Outsource it.
Not comfortable with writing sales copy to promote your products? Hire a writer.
We cannot possibly emphasise this point more than we already have.
Never bog yourself down with tasks you are not enjoying. The feeling of doing things you don't love has overwhelmed many entrepreneurs. Some even to the point where their minds become block leading to a complete failure of their start-ups.
Read: 25 Tasks You Can Outsource to A Virtual Assistant (VA)
3. Automate
In other words: rely on technology.
If you sell a product, technology can help you market and distribute it with ease. Imagine managing inventory manually in today’s world. Why bother when software and online applications can do that for you?
However, keep in mind though that technology is evolving at the speed of lightning. You need to be on your tippy toes. Identify the platforms that are best-suited for you and start with those first. It's never just one platform anymore.
Whether you want to do it in-house or outsource, is definitely your choice, but think about how much time it would take for you to learn everything you need to know.
Technology also plays a key role in delegating tasks. When you outsource, you make use of technology to communicate with your virtual assistant to optimise processes. This way, you can focus on doing things you love without losing control of mandatory to-dos for your business.
Are you starting to lose passion in your business? Contact us to see how we can help before it’s too late! Reach us via this link - http://www.va-sg.com/contact-us.html.
But why are we bringing this up?
Throughout the article, we notice a trend - the entrepreneurs make a conscious effort to make their business pleasurable for them. They don't focus on the nitty-gritty aspects of business that they are not interested in or do not enjoy - rather they focus on solving their customer's problems with their product or services.
Hold on. Don't focus on the nitty-gritty? But administrative work, accounts, and human resources are a part of any business. Even if you're a one-person business, there will also be customer service that you need to think of.
How do you tackle all that then?
1. Keep It Simple
Focus on only important tasks that are vital to your business operation – hiring, accounts, product creation, marketing and distribution. Strategise how you want to work on each aspect before you jump the gun into expansion. If your foundations are not concrete and too complicated, then you’re going to lose control of it sooner than you think.
Included in this “start simple” strategy is to remove complication that comes from selling your product or service to middlemen. What I mean is, you should avoid, at least at the beginning, from overcomplicating your sales pipeline with wholesale or retail scenarios and instead focus on taking your product direct to the consumer. This will ensure that you control the brand and voice early on, will have a direct communication with your customers for super important feedback and will retain full margin on your sales -- allowing you to reinvest and grow faster without taking on the liability of outside funds or debt. - via The Basics of How I Built a Seven-Figure Business Without Employees
2. Outsource
Don't like handling payroll? Outsource it.
Not comfortable with writing sales copy to promote your products? Hire a writer.
We cannot possibly emphasise this point more than we already have.
Never bog yourself down with tasks you are not enjoying. The feeling of doing things you don't love has overwhelmed many entrepreneurs. Some even to the point where their minds become block leading to a complete failure of their start-ups.
Read: 25 Tasks You Can Outsource to A Virtual Assistant (VA)
3. Automate
In other words: rely on technology.
If you sell a product, technology can help you market and distribute it with ease. Imagine managing inventory manually in today’s world. Why bother when software and online applications can do that for you?
However, keep in mind though that technology is evolving at the speed of lightning. You need to be on your tippy toes. Identify the platforms that are best-suited for you and start with those first. It's never just one platform anymore.
Whether you want to do it in-house or outsource, is definitely your choice, but think about how much time it would take for you to learn everything you need to know.
Technology also plays a key role in delegating tasks. When you outsource, you make use of technology to communicate with your virtual assistant to optimise processes. This way, you can focus on doing things you love without losing control of mandatory to-dos for your business.
Are you starting to lose passion in your business? Contact us to see how we can help before it’s too late! Reach us via this link - http://www.va-sg.com/contact-us.html.
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About The Author
A social butterfly whom specializes in small business productivity and management. Liyana Dhamirah has been a virtual assistant since 2009, founded VA-SG in 2011 and have been spearheading it eversince. Liyana is zealous about lean startups, online community building and work-life balance.
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