Turning Your Ideas Into A Real Online Business Recap

This week’s #MillennialTalk  on Turning Your Ideas Into A Real Online Business was a huge success. Not only did we learn incredibly valuable tips and resources from our guest Cailen Ascher as well as participants, but also received over 29 MILLION impressions and over 2,000 tweets!

So many of you have asked for a recap of this week’s #MillennialTalk chat that we felt it was important to share the highlights.

Q1 Starting a business online sounds overwhelming where do you even begin?

@cailenascher  A1. Start with what you love. It’s as simple (and hard) as that. Once you figure out that unique product, service, specialty ONLY YOU can offer, then you have the foundation in place.  Then it’s just a matter of figuring out the best way to educate your customers & deliver your offering. If you don’t absolutely LOVE what you’re doing, it’s going to be torture to stick with it.

Q2 How many hours/week does it really take to start a business?

@cailenascher  A2. Too many people have an all-or-nothing attitude. It’s quit their job & devote 24/7 to it or not do it at all. I suggest starting with whatever extra time you have each week – even if it’s only 3, 5 or 10 hours. The QUALITY of the work you do is so much more important than the quantity of hours you spend on your new venture. To ensure it’s quality time, prioritize & outline what you’re going to be working on & why. Don’t waste a minute.

Q3 What is your advice for finding a business niche that isn’t saturated?

@cailenascher A3. This is where being multi-passionate really pays off! The best way to distinguish yourself is to draw on your multi-passionate nature. Blend 2 or 3 of your interests & create a brand that’s uniquely you. Take me: I blended biz+marketing with yoga & now help yoga teachers & entrepreneurs transform their hobby into a biz

Q4 What is the easiest least expensive way to start an online business

@cailenascher  A4.  Establish yourself as an expert by sharing your knowledge and expertise via an online newsletter. It’s cheaper than a website, it positions you as an authority & it builds trust with your ideal customers.

Q5 What’s the quickest, easiest way to start making money with your new biz?

@cailenascher  A5. If you’re a service based biz, the best route is 1×1 consulting. There’s no overhead, you can charge handsomely & you don’t need to create a fancy program or product. Just figure out how to use Skype or Google Hangouts and you’re 99% of the way there!

Q6 What start up steps are worth the money vs steps that you can be savvy and save?

@cailenascher  A6. I’m all about bootstrapping & like to know the inner workings of my business, so I’ve done a lot of work myself. I think it’s important to spend a little $ for a nice looking website. (I built mine using @Wordpress & @OptimizePress) For content & email marketing, I use @MailChimp, which is free for up to 2000 subscribers. As money comes in put a % back into your biz to improve your website, create unique offerings & invest in biz training!

Q7 What is “couch potato content” & why do so many entrepreneurs have it?

@cailenascher  A7. Couch potato content just sits on your website/blog & does nothing…it’s lazy. Couch potato content is the opposite of effective content marketing. Just because you write a blog post doesn’t mean the world will see it. You have to get it in front of people in order to grow your biz & make a difference.

Q8 What is your trick to generating a years worth of blogs, newsletters, podcasts topics in one sitting?

@cailenascher  A8. Envision your ideal client & write a list of questions, topics, problems, issues that THEY want to know about most. Just keep writing, don’t censor yourself & don’t stop until you have 50+ ideas. If you publish weekly content, you now have a year’s worth of ideas that your ideal client will LOVE learning about. It’s about solving their problems. Don’t be afraid to address the “mundane”. That’s what they want to know about the most.

Q9 What are the most effective ways to draw the right people to your biz & community?

@cailenascher  A9. Infiltrate other people’s communities. Pitch & write guest posts, network with #entrepreneurs & offer to be interviewed (that’s how @ChelseaKrost & I connected) Think about the websites, blogs, @YouTube channels your ideal clients likely visits & reach out to those people first!

Q10  Why is content marketing the most cost and time-effective way to take your biz online?

@cailenascher  A10.  It’s free, you don’t need a website, it takes just minutes to set up & you need is an email address! It enables you to position yourself as an expert, build a relationship with clients & build community around your biz. Content marketing means you’re reaching out to people in order to grow your business & active beats passive any day!

Q11  What are other great methods to spread brand awareness?

@cailenascher  A11. Show up in front of other people’s audiences with guest posts, interviews and speaking appearances. Engage in conversations with your customers and prospects via social media and email. Talk about what you do and WHY you do it with any one who will listen. Be CONSISTENT. Publish your newsletter/blog/etc. regularly & let your community know they can count on you.

Q12  Is it vital to have a website right away?

@cailenascher  A12. No. But it should definitely be part of your overall plan. The quickest, easiest way to kick things off is through a content marketing campaign. This will spread your brand’s message and educate your prospects. While you’re growing your following, you can be working on your website or saving $ to hire someone to do it for you.

Thank you to all of you that participated in this week’s #MillennialTalk. We’d love for you to share your comments below on ideas for starting an online business!! We will be returning on July 29 for another incredible chat!