When Is the Best Time to Start an Online Business?

Have you ever thought about starting a business? Maybe an online business in network marketing or affiliate marketing, or even your own product? You know exactly what you want to do, but you’re waiting until you have all your ducks in a row or for when the time is right.
In business I love it when I hear people say that they are going to do something, but they need to wait until the time is right, or until they are ready. It means that I don’t have to give them another thought. I can dismiss them completely (from a business perspective). If they ever do start, which is unlikely, they are going to be so far behind that they won’t matter.
No one is ever ready and the time is never right. That’s just the way it is.

Entrepreneurs Make Decisions

Maybe you’ve seen this quote before.
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. - Chinese Proverb Share on X
You know it’s true, so go ahead, click on it and tweet it out to your followers.
If you started your business twenty years ago you would already be receiving all of the benefits. It you were online, things would look much different now than they did when you started. Maybe you wouldn’t have been in affiliate marketing, but you definitely could have been in network marketing. Some of these companies are more than fifty years old.
The only thing that you need to do to start a business is to make the decision to begin. You don’t have to know how to do the business, you don’t need any materials, you don’t need anything at all other than the ability to make a decision and a strong belief that you can be successful. The rest will come to you.
I said it’s the only thing you need to do. Making the decision is also the hardest part of any business. It’s a change in direction. It stirs up fear and brings stress. But it’s all in your head.
The greatest strength of the successful entrepreneurs is their ability to make a decision. They decide to do something. Once they have done that they know where they are headed, so they get busy figuring out how to get there.

What is Your Online Business Going to Be?

My business is in internet marketing – as both network marketing and affiliate marketing. I really see them both as the same thing because I do my network marketing the same way that you would do any other affiliate marketing business.
I like this business model because you don’t need any special skills or materials. What you do need is an openness to learn new skills and the perseverance and persistence to stick with something long enough for it to work.
Oh yeah, and you’ll need a computer too. Preferably a laptop because this business doesn’t tie you down to an office or any other specific location.
The best time to start was last year. Failing that, today will do. - Chris Guillebeau Share on X

The Best Time to Start an Online Business

In an online network marketing business (or affiliate marketing), the sooner you start, the better off you are. With the internet, you want the search engines to know that your website exists as soon as possible so that they can begin to index it.
As with making the decision to start the business, people like to wait until their website is perfect before they launch it. That is a huge mistake.
It’s like when you see a construction company building a new restaurant. One of the first things that goes up is a sign telling you what it is going to be. They want you to know that it’s coming in advance so that when they finally do open they already have customers lining up.
Go ahead and launch your website. Put up a temporary page that tells people who you are and what you’re going to be doing. It also gives the search engines something to look at for beginning to index you.
The important thing is to get your sign up right away.
For example, when the network marketing company that I am with launches a new product, I throw up a quick page with a title, a picture, a couple lines of text, and a link to the product so that people can buy it. It isn’t pretty, but the search engines can see it and begin to index it. I’ll come back and improve it when I have some time.
There’s no point in waiting. Everything changes continually. The products that you promote from your affiliate marketing or network marketing company are (hopefully) continuing to evolve as time changes. The “right” way to conduct your business is going to continually evolve, and so is your website design.
Your website is never going to be “done” anyway.
So if you think that you are going to wait until you understand everything before you start your business, you’ll never get started. You’re never going to have everything figured out.
The key to success is to start before you are ready. Share on X

Need Some Help Getting Started?

Are you considering starting a business? Since it’s too late to start twenty years ago or a year ago, now is the next best time to start. Are you ready? Are you going to start anyway?
If you have thought about starting a business that let’s you work from home but don’t know what to do, you might want to consider network marketing. I’m not your usual network marketer. I’m really more of an affiliate marketer who uses products from a network marketing company.You can find out more about my take on network marketing here.
I’m also creating a program for network marketers and affiliate marketers to help you create your own website. It is still a work-in-progress and when complete it will walk your through exactly how I have build my business online. It starts with my Online Marketing for Network Marketers e-book.

Disclaimer

There is no guarantee of income in online marketing, internet marketing, network marketing or affiliate marketing. Most people make pretty close to $0. My experience shows that you get out of it what you put into it, so if you are able to learn something, put it into practice, and stick with it for however long it takes, you have a great chance to doing much better than most people.