I’ve exclusively used Twitter to grow my business over the past two years, and what I’ve learned from the people in my DMs is that most of them hate their jobs and want to quit (lol, who doesn’t?), they want to express their creativity, but they’re nervous to invest money into a website because it seems complicated. I think a lot of people have this secret wish that there’s some quick point-and-click process to starting an online business, where they can just sit on their phone and tweet links and collect funds. Bitch, no.
If you want to make money STEP ONE:
Stop being lazy.
If you want to start making money online, the first thing you need is work ethic.
So you hate your day job, and your coworkers, and your manager. You can cry in the tweets about how bad it is, and you can phone-it-in for the rest of your life and be dissatisfied and unfulfilled. It doesn’t matter to me.
I do what I love so…
If you want to secure your own bag, doing something you love, then kick the “it’s so hard” mentality. Right right meow meow.
Anything worth a damn is going to be hard for a time.
It’s only hard until you’ve done it. It’s only hard until you know how to do it. Kick your ass into gear and buckle down.
Pick Your Product.
Easy enough, honestly. Don’t over-complicate it. I say this with love, but you’re probably not creative or smart enough to develop some very complex or intricate futuristic product/service. Don’t overshoot your load here, when you haven’t actually got enough spunk to make it hot.
Keep it simple. Choose something you actually like, and go from there.
Are you going to sell physical goods? If so, focus on one singular product. Candles. Notebooks. Soap. Lip Gloss. Eye Lashes. Perfumes. Hoodies. You can add more once you get your fulfillment + logistics system down.
Are you going to offer services? Sit down and make a list of your skills. Be honest with yourself. What’s the number one thing you have undeniable expertise and knowledge of? What can you do with your eyes closed, and better than nearly anyone you know?
Find your one thing, and hone in on that skill. Perfect it. Sharpen that blade. DO NOT jump out of the gate with a full catalog or service listing of 17 different things.
Remember, you have to market and promote each thing. That means photos, copy writing, product descriptions, pricing, etc. At the beginning you’re just eager and hungry to make the bread. You’ll get there faster by starting small.
If you try to push multiple products you’re gonna get overwhelmed, and when entrepreneurs get overwhelmed they lose steam and stop. I’ve seen it happen to others. It’s happened to me. Don’t do that to yourself.
Pick one thing to start with. Lock it down, then expand.
Set-up Payments
Now, this is going to come back to the first part. Don’t get lazy here. Do the research. Read the fine print. There are LOTS of different ways to get paid online. Go through each of them.
Honestly, if you don’t like reading or if you get confused easily, then go through each one on different days. Don’t try to cram the information. Just get familiar with each payment provider at your own pace.
Take the time to learn what the companies charge (per purchase, and annually if that applies). Find out when they release funds, and what their seller requirements are.
For example, PayPal Business accounts charge sellers 3.9% + 39¢ per order. Payments are almost always immediately processed, with funds in the PayPal account instantly.
Stripe charges sellers 2.9% + 30¢ (industry standard, tbh), but for new businesses funds take about a week to hit.
You’re going to want to decide which matters more to you –> lower fees or faster access to your earnings. It’s your call.
This is why YOU need to MAKE THE TIME to DO YOUR RESEARCH.
If you want to make money online there’s a million zillion things you can do. It just starts with thinking and planning. Commit to laying the groundwork.
Period.
But wait, THERE’S MORE!
I’m not gonna play you by pretending it’s 1-2-3 to making money online. But these are the basics. Obviously, if you really want to succeed and be taken seriously, you’ll need a website. And past that, you’ll need a marketing strategy.
Bottom line is you can either keep your day job that you fucking hate, or you can *manifest* the energy to start working for yourself.
Believe that you’re capable of handling things once you know how.
Need the know-how? Want a roadmap, someone to hold you accountable? You Already Know.