Your First Online Empire

Quickly and easily build your online empire

Starting from scratch, with no webmaster or marketing skills...

You don’t have any marketing knowledge?

HTML looks like a 2 year old kid
has been frenetically hitting a keyboard to you?

Making money from the internet is something that seems out of reach?

Well, read on! You‘ll be amazed at how easy it can be, even for a newbie…

Start getting paid online

First things first : if you don’t have any experience online, don’t even have a business plan, and have absolutely no work experience, you can still make some cash on the web.

Just don’t expect to become a millionaire overnight, nor to spend your days free of work.

Any success you can have (online and offline) will come from the fact that you are motivated and determined in the first place.

Determined to reach your goals.

Reaching your goals only means setting those goals, learning how to reach them, and then applying what you’ve learned to get where you’re headed.

Once you’ve understood that, and you are ready to roll your sleeves up, learn and take action, your first hundreds of dollars online are just a matter of time.

And in a matter of weeks or months, you will come to point where you can decide to push it to the next level and have a living income flowing in to your bank account that will dwarf the paychecks you are used to now.

Now that’s said, let’s get into the heat of the subject: how can you actually start getting a steady and decent flow of cash online with no website and nothing to sell at first view?

Are you sure you don’t have anything to sell?

My bet is you do. You might not know it yet, but you do have something sell, something people will pay you to possess.

I’m sure you’ve already come across an offer that offers to teach you…something you already know?

Now, if someone is selling a piece of knowledge you possess yourself and is making money that way, what stops you from doing the same?

Many people are making a living from the internet selling their knowledge, and people are buying it just because those the sellers know just a little bit more about the topic than 50% of the public…

And getting to know just a little bit more about a given topic than 50% of the public is pretty easy most of the time. You usually only need to read a few books or watch a few videos and you have enough knowledge to start selling it!

“Yeah, ok, I might be knowledgeable on this or that topic, but I don’t know anything about selling, and even less about how to sell that knowledge online!”

We’ll come to that in a few lines, don’t worry…

For now, just for the sake of the argument, let’s say you really don’t have any knowledge at all about anything, and you can’t be bothered to learn.

Or maybe you need money quick, and can’t wait to read 3 or 4 books, or watch hours of video before you can start earning a few hundred dollars.

Let’s say all you can do is read and write and that’s it.

Would you have nothing to sell then?

No!
Think about it for a second: what does everyone have and loads of people pay for, every single day?

The answer is TIME.

That’s right, you can sell your time…

You might think I’m nuts and that what I’m saying doesn’t make any sense, especially if you don’t know anything about the business world, and even less about the web based businesses.

But it’s a fact: companies and independent entrepreneurs pay people for their time, and often do not require any specific skills other than being able to read, write, understand and follow simple instructions!

This is even truer now with the expansion of internet. Of course, you also need to be able to access and use a computer. But you are doing that now, so it shouldn’t be too big a deal ;-).

The best way to build a business (in my opinion) is to have your business plan shredded into tasks, and to have detailed instructions on how to complete each task.

This is even the key rule of the ISO 9001 quality management system standard.
(Remember this: it’s the best way to build a scalable business, an easy to grow, and fast growing business).

And that is exactly what a vast majority of businesses do: they have detailed and easy to follow instructions for each and every task that gets their systems to work and generate money.

The “easy to follow” part is very important here: ideally, anyone should be able to complete the task only by following the instructions.

So what a lot of businesses do, even independent entrepreneurs, is they just create the business system, and hire people to complete the tasks by following simple procedures.

And they will generally pay good money for your time, given you provide quality work.

What I’m describing here is called being an assistant. It’s that simple: follow instructions.

This is a very big business on the web, and online, it’s called being a virtual assistant.

Now here’s the way to see it, the way that is really profitable for you:

When you get hired as an assistant, not only do you get paid to perform a task, but you are also paid to learn how to complete it.

This means that the person who employs you is actually paying you to learn something you can use later to make money yourself!

For example, let’s say you get hired by someone who asks you to write sales letters following a detailed procedure. After a while and a bit of practice, what stops you from offering a service where you write sales letters for people?

You will have the knowledge, if you have the time, you can do it.

“How do I find clients if I have no website, no blog and no email list?”

Internet is an amazing tool that has made an enormous difference in the work world: you are no more limited to job offers from local companies.

You can work for companies on the other side of the globe, without having to move from your home!

All you need is a computer, some time and some motivation…

There are tens of places where you can offer you services, may you want to offer a service in particular, or just be an assistant.

Just as a side note: if you want to make money with a specific skill of yours, always check out the market to make sure people are interested in what you offer, and study your competition in order to present your service in a way that stands out from the rest.

“So where are those places where I can get hired?”

There really are a lot, so won’t list them all here. But after checking out those I recommend, you can use your favorite search engine to find one that suits you if you want.

The first two (Freelancer and Fiverr) I have had very good experiences with, so I can give you a good insight of how they work. The others I will just list so you know they exist and can be trusted.

That been said, you should always double check before going for something on the recommendation of someone you don’t know.

So if you don’t know me, don’t sign-up to one of those platforms without doing a bit of research about it first ;-).

 

Freelancer

This is where I started actually, and I do recommend it as there really are loads of people using the site, and even if you don’t do things right, it’s fairly easy to get your first job underway.

Although I did have some specific skills when I started on the platform, and that’s probably why I was earning up to $2’000/month after only a few weeks, I have seen hundreds of people going on the site at starting to earn $100 or $200 per week very quickly without any specific skill.

The site offers secure payment systems, to ensure that both parties, the employer and the worker, are fully satisfied. It also offers very useful project management tools, a market place where you can sell specific products or services, and contests that can get you known and desired if your work is of good quality.

Even though you can sign-up for a free account, you will have to upgrade to a paid plan (around $6/month if remember well) to have access to the full features of the site.

A great thing about Freelancer is that you can actually get people to sign-up with an affiliate link once you have your account, and you will get commissions on your referrals’ jobs (and even a $2 sign-up bonus I think).

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE WEBSITE

Fiverr

I also used to work on that platform, and it is by far the customer source that made me the more money as a “freelancer” ($3’500+ per month). Their system is awesome, just so efficient.

First of all, when you start, you just get loads of exposure. The site has created a real buzz, and there are just so many people using it, it’s crazy. And when you put up your first offer, it’s displayed straight away to hundreds of people, so you’re bound to make your first sale quickly.

Secondly, every time someone purchases one of your offers, he is asked to rate your service and leave a feedback. And these feedbacks and ratings will be visible in your profile, and on all of your offers. And the better your rating and feedbacks are, the more your offers are displayed to potential clients. You can create a real buzz that will keep work flowing in increasingly with time.

Needless to say you can start having more work than you can cope with very quickly, and increase your prices accordingly.

Just to give you an example, after only 2 months of using the platform, I was making at least $2’500$ every month, and after 4months I was receiving between 20 and 150 job offers every day and making over $3’200 every single month!

One of the biggest advantages is that using the platform is totally free, and payments are processed by the site: the person hiring you has to deposit the money before you start working, so you know he can pay. The site will keep 20%, which is fair enough for bringing you clients I reckon.

You should know that Fiverr is more suited for specific services, and might not be the best place to start as an assistant, but if you have particular skills and knowledge, and can set up a service that brings real value to your clients without requiring too much work from you, you can rock on!

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE WEBSITE

Other work from home websites:

• Elance. Visit the website
• Odesk. Visit the website
• People Per Hour. Visit the website
• Guru. Visit the website

Important:

I would recommend you don’t just sign-up to multiple platforms, create a profile on each one and just wait for work to come knocking on your door straight away.

The smartest thing to do is to choose one platform, and study how it works and tweak your offers and profile until you master that source of clients, then move on to the next one and do the same.

Go for Freelancer.com if you want to be a virtual assistant, or Fiverr.com if you have a specific service you want to sell.

How do I get started and how do I build an empire from there?

This is quite obvious, but I’ll point it out anyway: whatever platform(s) you choose to go with, you should have a profile that is as complete as possible.

If you don’t have any specific skills and no work experience to display, try and focus on the fact that you are motivated, disciplined and are a hard worker. Do not lie on your profile, it could be a big blow to your reputation and business results if someone finds out.

Have a look around at what other people offer, and try to offer something better or different, that will make you stand out of the crowd.

If being creative here doesn’t work for you, than you can get inspiration from the people that offer the same kind of service as you and have a lot of positive reviews on the site, and have success doing so. You can even try getting in touch for advice…

Give you best shot on your first job.

Even if you need to lower your rates to get your first job, do so.

What you really want from your first job is a satisfied customer that will give you a good feedback.

You really need to focus on that. It’s the feedback that will prove to potential customers that you can be trusted, not your profile.

And trust me, once you’ve had a handful of good feedbacks, the offers will start flowing in, and you can start raising your prices…

So really do your best on the first couple of jobs. Show that you are motivated and trust worthy.

You will have to be careful and selective on your first jobs, as there are some scammers and time wasters that will just never pay or won’t leave you a positive feedback.

If something looks dodgy to you, just don’t do it.

Getting paid AND getting a positive feedback are your goals here, both are very important and interconnected.

If the site does not offer an automatic rating and/or feedback system (I do recommend you do this anyway), ask your satisfied customers to give you at least a written feedback, or even better: a video testimonial.

This can have a massive impact if you use such videos to promote your services, and will even be of great help if you one day decide to set up a proper business online, with a website and everything…

And the crazy thing is, if you really do you best on your first jobs and get rewarded with positive feedbacks, you will also get the pleasure of being satisfied with yourself, and you will build confidence and create a momentum that will keep you motivated to produce quality stuff.

What about building that empire you were talking about earlier?

Start getting paid what you deserve!

Once you have good reviews and start getting more and more job offers, start raising your prices steadily. Don’t do it too quick, like don’t double your prices as soon as you’ve made 2 sells, do it gradually, likeincrease by 5% or 10% every 10 jobs completed for example.

And keep increasing your prices as long as offers come in. Don’t just stop as soon as you’ve reached the industries standards. As long as people offer you work, keep increasing. This is a fundamental rule in business.

If your first clients return after a while and ask for the same price as the first job you did for them, politely reply that it is not possible anymore, and explain that you have loads of work for the prices you ask for now, and if they are not willing to pay what you ask for, someone else will just hire you instead.

If you were good the first time, they probably will have made some profit thanks to your work, and now that you have gained experience, your work will be even better, and they will be able to make even more money with your higher quality.

If they refuse to pay more, then they don’t respect you, nor the basics of business and economy in general for that matter, and you should not waste your time with them.

Some people prefer paying low money for low quality work, which makes them earn only little money themselves in the end…

Just leave them to it and welcome the smarter people that will be coming to you now that you’ve showed the world that you are capable of producing quality work.

Increasing your prices will act as a filter that will wash away disrespectful customers and employers so you work in better conditions.

Better work conditions and relations, along with increasing earnings, will only reinforce the momentum you have going and keep you productive and motivated to build your success and achieve your goals.

Connect

When you work or do business online (but I believe this is true offline too), the number one rule, the real key of success is to connect with people. But not just any people, people that have already benefited from what you offer and people that are interested or could potentially be interested by your products or services.

You need to create a real connection, and talk with them as much as possible.

You may learn a lot about business, and the particular niche (market) you work in. This will help you adapt your existing offer to suit your prospects (potential customers) better, and give you ideas of new services or products to create later, and how to present them in a way that has a maximum of impact (by using the same vocabulary as your prospects in your offers for example).

One important thing to do at this stage, is creating a contact list. This will be a database of all your potential clients for the future. If someone has bought from you and was satisfied, he is likely to buy again later…

A contact list will really be a massive step towards your own online empire.

You can just have a document with a list of names with the matching contact details, but I do recommend you can an autoresponder and get people to sign up to a mailing list.

You don’t need something fancy with a squeeze page, a lead magnet and all that marketing stuff at this stage, just get an autoresponder, create a list, create a sign-up form and explain give the link to your costumers asking them to sign-up so you can inform them before everyone else when you release a new product or set up a new service.

If you really want to reward people that sign-up to your mailing list, you can offer them a discount on your next offer, or free advice about the niche you’re involved in. This could even be a good time to start a newsletter, or an email blogging business…but that’s a whole other topic!

CLICK HERE to choose Your Free For Life Autoresponder.

Create a scalable business and push it to the next level

Remember I told you creating detailed procedures was the key to creating a business you can just grow, and grow, and grow…?

Well, that’s exactly what you need to do: create step-by-step, easy to follow procedures for the tasks you complete for the services you sell.

After the procedures are created, study them, think about how you can improve quality and speed up execution.

Even investigate tools that will help you do that by automating things for example.

The first benefit is that you will not have to remember everything every time. This is especially useful if you are tired or ill and can’t think straight. You just have to follow simple steps that will become automatic.

The speed at which you perform each task will therefore increase, and you will get paid more on an hourly basis.

Another benefit, and that is where you really start building a real business, is that once you start getting a lot of job offers, instead of turning down work because you don’t have time to do everything yourself, you can hire someone to follow the simple steps of your procedures.

If your instructions are clear enough, almost anyone will be able to complete the tasks, and you can hire someone that doesn’t ask for a lot of money, but looks trust worthy and motivated. Choose a beginner that seems to be someone honest and hardworking, like you when you started ;-).

You will soon realize that you can even gradually outsource all the jobs you accept, and just take a percentage of the price each time. Doing this, in only a few months, you should be able to earn as much for a few hours of work than if you worked full time and did all the work yourself.

But be careful that the work you hand in to your clients is always top notch quality. Check everything at first, until you have been working for long enough with an assistant to trust him to do good work.

Once you have completely outsourced this first client and income stream, turn to another one:
do the same on another freelancing platform, and/or…read what’s next!

Diversify a maximum

Sticking to one market is fine, but selling only one product or service in only one place for the rest of your life is a very bad plan…

You never know what can happen: the platform could close down, you could get outplayed by competition, a tool could be invented to automatically perform the services you sell…

So, along with finding different client sources for your    service, like signing up on other work platforms, you should also think about setting up different services to sell.

This will provide you with a “backup plan” if anything goes wrong with your first service or product, but it will be a formidable step towards a proper online empire if things keep going well with you first project!

So you've got a choice to make:

tackle a new niche with a totally different product or service

or

create a new product or service for the niche you already work in.

It’s really up to you. Now you know how to get a business going on a freelancing platform, you can decide to start over again with something totally different and see how much you can scale that new business, or keep going in the same niche by setting up an offer that completes the first one you have, or that answers a different need…

If you have questions or would like to give me a feedback about this article, please don’t be shy and leave a comment.

Good luck with your online project(s).

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