Is Your Online Information Business Ready to Grow Beyond You?
I’m going through an interesting phase with my online business right now. It’s growing, which is good. But, it’s also making me feel scattered, not quite as pulled together as I usually am. As with everything in life, here are a few lessons I’m learning from this interesting phrase.
3 Signs It’s Time to Hire Help
I’ve accepted the fact that my online information business is ready to grow beyond me. I’ve been a solo entrepreneur and I’ve had employees (I’ve owned two full-fledged businesses, and a couple of side entities), so I recognize that I’m at the phase where I need to hire an assistant, at least on a part-time basis, to help me get to the next phase.
Following are the signs I heeded that told me, “Hey girl, you’d better gets some help before it’s too late!”
1. You Never Finish Daily Tasks. I’m a huge believer in keeping lists. They keep me sane and balanced. For the last month or so though, I haven’t been able to repeatedly finish my daily tasks. I keep pushing the duties back, restructuring them and/or crossing them off the list altogether.
While it’s okay to do all of these things, if you keep pushing the same things back, then it’s time to hire some help.
2. What Are You Not Finishing and/or Putting Off? Piggybacking off the last point, the things that I keep pushing back are the ones that could further the growth of my business.
For example, I write and publish ebooks on freelance writing. I have over 70 titles that I want to get out over the next year. A lot – sure! But, as most are 20 pages or less on very niche topics, very doable in this time frame.
But, I don’t have nanoseconds in a day to devote to this passive stream of income. So, carving out 8-10 hours a week I need to devote to this writing is impossible. The only way I’m going to get this amount of time is to pay someone else to take over some of my daily/weekly tasks.
This is perhaps the most important tip off that you need help. When you get to the point where you are literally stunting the growth of your business by not hiring help, then it’s time to hire help!
3. Constantly in a Hurry/Rushed. I constantly feel that I’m in a rush these days. And, this is so not my personality. I’m a little high-strung, but on the social side, not on the professional side.
But, as this is my business and my future at stake, I worry more, stress more, rush more. I’ve been losing sleep – not because my business is doing bad, quite the opposite. It’s because of the growth. It’s getting a little out of hand and has caught me with my undies in a bit of a bunch.
What started all of this was when I started to take on SEO writing projects almost a year ago. This portion of the business has just exploded in contrast to the more traditional writing I do as a freelancer.
So, right now I’m working to untangle the growth bottleneck. In next week’s post, I’ll detail exactly how I’m going about it in a post entitled A Growth Plan for a Six-Figure Online Business. That way, you won’t be caught if you find yourself in this position.
Now, anybody out there have a plan for how to reach seven figures with an online information business? I’m all ears.
hijinks | April 30th, 2008 at 5:23 pm #
Some excellent information here. Sometimes people get wrapped up in their businesses and don’t realize that it might be time to get some help.
Life on Mars | April 30th, 2008 at 5:31 pm #
Just found many many things are beyond me, not only online info. business,:)
The Freelance Writer's Blog | April 30th, 2008 at 6:16 pm #
@hijinks: You’re so right. I’m in my 40s and don’t have any wrinkles. AND, I’m not about to let this business cultivate any!
@Life on Mars: Dudette, I so hear ya! And I proudly admit it. After all, a wise man once said it is the wise man who recognizes his shortcomings.
Yuwanda
Colorado Lasik Surgery | April 30th, 2008 at 6:38 pm #
I think it is good to have a ‘to do’ list and stick with it or you will go will go bonkers. Put at the top of the list the most important seo elements you can be working on and do down the list.
Riggie Freyer | May 1st, 2008 at 6:51 am #
Hi Yuwanda,
I feel you can only get to a seven-figure income if you have a website which dominates a certain niche and you sell products or services from that site, or possibly advertising and 3rd party affiliate products.
Another way could be if you have a high-priced product or service you can send targeted traffic paid and free traffic to…
-Riggie
Steven Lohrenz | May 1st, 2008 at 12:43 pm #
I think you need to outsource the things you don’t like doing and just focus on the things you do like doing.
Match up the strengths of others with your weakesses and vice versa and you’ll be well on your way!
Jose | May 1st, 2008 at 9:04 pm #
Thanks so much for this post Yuwanda! Am just starting to learn internet marketing but the insights you shared will be useful as I progress to your similar level. I certainly look forward to your next post on your “Growth Plan for a Six-Figure Online Business”.
Jose
Yuwanda Black (Post Author) | May 7th, 2008 at 1:08 pm #
Jose: I like the freebie software recommendations on your site. I use PrimoPDF and love it. Hope you enjoyed the second post I put up today.
Ahhh Steven if only it were that easy. First, you have to be able to AFFORD to outsource the things you don’t like to do so you can focus only on those things you want to do. I’m lucky to be at that point now, but it’s taken some time. That’s why many stay stuck; they’re too busy to do what’s necessary to get to the next level, but can’t afford to pay someone to take over those duties. It’s a catch-22.
Riggie, I’m still trying to solve that affiliate puzzle. I’ve tried several programs but have never made any real money with any of them. That’s part of the reason I decided to start writing and promoting my own products. I’m gonna give it another shot soon though, as there are some excellent products out there that complement my offerings.
Colorado you’re so right. I can’t do anything without my to-do list. I’d be completely lost!
Thanks for adding to the conversation everybody.
Yuwanda