10 Questions to ask yourself.
How well do you know yourself?
Here are 10 Important questions to ask yourself before you start your business from home.
Introduction
Starting an Internet Business from home should carry a Health warning.
We should be warned that very early on we could be confronted with all the Gremlins in our lives undermining us and encouraging us to fail. The result is that most business opportunities are left in a drawer forgotten about. Another failure and waste of money.
This was my experience which will echo with many others I am sure:
I am sure that like many who will read this, you have paid for loads of stuff which you have downloaded, wasted even more money on some pretty expensive seminars – and ended up doing NOTHING with most if not all of them.
Did I stop doing so? Absolutely not!
I was still looking for that illusive magic solution. Another offer came through the post and like a mesmerised rabbit I bought some more products leading to more feelings of drowning and inadequacy. By now my desk was littered with all sorts of things – and rapidly becoming too small to hold all the business files, DVDs, CDs etc. My computer still has a heap of downloaded stuff that remains unused!! Crazy eh!
WHY do we do it?
End Result: No money left. Felt a fool chasing a vague dream of financial fortune from home. Nothing to show except for stacks of information, files and a large cardboard box.
I so nearly fell into that well recognised trap of disillusionment and apathy.
I so nearly gave up. I so nearly admitted that I was failure.
I certainly was not feeling that great about myself.
One thing in my favour is that I have a positive mental attitude born from many years in the world of ’sales’ before I retired.
Throughout my sales training I had learnt the importance of setting goals, small actions…..also to recognize the negative power of self limiting beliefs, lack of self confidence, fear of failure, unwillingness to step out of my comfort zone, procrastination and much more.
The good news is that this insight has gradually turned me round. I will not give up and with hard work, and with the right help I have succeeded in building my business.
The good news is that by asking yourself these 10 questions you will have a far stronger foundation from which to launch your business.
So here are the Questions which I wish I, with my sales background, I had stopped and honestly answered before I leapt in the deep end!
1. Do you have a clear vision of what a successful business is for you?
My first mistake was that I did not use the clear vision created from within me. I bought a few dreams off the shelf!!
A vision can begin with a desire, an interest or a concern. A vision will help you stop drifting aimlessly between projects.
So get clear in your mind what your vision is. How does this business fit in with your sense of purpose? Is this vision totally yours or is it someone else’s?
TIP: Create a vision board or scrapbook and look at it daily. Enjoy adding to it. Have fun being creative.
2. Do you know the difference between a Dream and a Goal?
It is said that ‘a goal is a Dream with a date on’.
Once you have a vision or end goal, ask yourself the following:
What do I want to achieve with this goal?
What do I need to do to achieve this goal?
How will achieving this goal benefit me?
What could stop me achieving this goal?
TIP: write down your Goals. Research has shown you are 25% more likely to fulfill your goals if you first write them down.
3. Have you done a reality check on your current situation?
By this I mean have you honestly budgeted how much money you want to spend on this project. You are less likely to spend spontaneously if you have a budget.
How about time constraints? Do you have another form of employment or do you have young children at home? Be realistic about how much time you can devote to your business. It has to be right for you.
4. How can you prevent being overwhelmed by a large end goal or dream?
You have written down your end goal which reflects your dream. You have honestly identified your current situation. Now see what consistent and persistent actions are required to narrow the gap between your reality and End Goal and write them down as bite-sized steps. It really does not matter how small you make these steps as long as you actually accomplish these steps.
TIP : ‘The future depends on what we do in the present.’
Mahatma Ghandi
5. What self limiting beliefs are you carrying around with you?
The dictionary definition ….A belief is a principle accepted as true or real without proof. An opinion, a conviction.
Different life experiences create different beliefs.
Beliefs can come from our childhood, our schooling, the media, religion, friends….
Here’s a belief that nags at me…wanting to be wealthy is not a good dream, its materialistic and selfish….
….I have no experience with IT therefore I cannot be successful…..
To tackle these negative beliefs head on: write them down, then ask yourself –
What are you avoiding because of this belief?
How is this interfering with your progress?
If you let go of this belief what impact would this have on your business?
Is there any evidence for this negative belief?
What positive belief can you replace it with?
TIP: Choose a positive belief that supports your goal and then take positive action consistently towards your goal. As you contradict your negative thought it will lose its power.
6. How can the Fear of Failure hold you back?
This is a BIGGIE! It can paralyse extremely capable and talented individuals into inaction.
Let’s look at failure from another perspective. It is a natural instinctive response to the unknown. Failure is not the same as defeat. It is a valuable opportunity to learn from and use the knowledge for the future. It is a necessary part of succeeding. It is normal to have set-backs and disappointments. If your vision is powerful enough it will pull you back on your feet. It is a case of get over it and crack on with the journey.
Fear can trap you in your Comfort Zone.
Starting your own business can be an amazing opportunity to discover dormant talents and skills. As you develop your business you will be amazed at the abilities which come to the fore which you never realised you had.
TIP: So exercise that self-confidence muscle and test yourself one extra step beyond what you think you can do. You will surprise yourself. The positive energy you will feel will propel you forwards to the next step.
If this is an issue for you, I recommend the book ‘Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway’ by Susan Jeffers.
7. Do you have a strategy in place for dealing with Time management issues and procrastination?
This must be a common drawback for those of us working from home. There are a million and one things which catch our attention. Put another load of washing on, check emails, phone a friend , make another cup of coffee, do the on-line shop., the school run…on and on it goes!
First things first, if you have written out your goals and then identified bite-sizes steps you are in a good position to list one or two actions a day that you will commit to completing. So start each day with an intention and a commitment that fits the realistic time scale you have available.
Be aware of what distracts you so you can deal with it. My distraction is reading emails. I now read my emails BEFORE I have breakfast so that I am FREE to carry out my task as my first step when I get back to my computer.
Procrastination is another enemy of progress.
Be honest with yourself, look at what you are putting off and tackle it head on. As Brian Tracy says in his book about procrastination….eat that frog, and eat the biggest and ugliest first!
Mentally review what you want to achieve the next day and so on until you have moved forward several steps towards your goal. The important thing is to keep the momentum up.
Then have a weekly review of progress and set some more bite-sized goals.
In his book ’The Power of Self Discipline’ , Brian Tracy states that Self Discipline is the Number One Key to success. When you are practising self-discipline you are in control and it’s a great feeling.
8. How will you deal with the isolation of working from home?
You may love it! Sometimes though it can be pretty lonely when you hit a brick wall and you have no-one to share it with. This is where I have found joining a couple of forums invaluable. I deliberately chose one for beginners in the internet marketing business. I wanted to feel comfortable asking the stupid questions! Finding a mentor is good also if they are just a little further down the path of discovery. I also have joined an “Entrepreneurs Forum” where members are at all sorts of levels and provide ongoing and continuous support and help.
This means I can interact with members of both the forums on a regular daily or weekly basis. I have found that members are very generous with their advice and are always encouraging.
9. Who will you choose to share your dreams and aspirations with?
I have included this point as when we all start out we are rather like delicate plants and we are vulnerable to disappointment and discouragement. This is when it is important to only share your precious dreams with those who will support and encourage you even if they don’t quite understand what it is all about! Be aware of how comments can uplift or drag you down or plant seeds of self-doubt. Try not to spend too much time with those who could undermine you and have a negative effect on you.
10. How can you reward yourself when you achieve one of your goals?
A reward could be a lovely walk in the country, a special bubble bath, a proper cup of coffee, a phone call with a friend, buying some make up, or a good quality wine , seeing a film with your partner or on your own…..the list is endless !!
See this as an adventure, a journey you have chosen to experience.
To help you feel better and better about yourself focus on ALL your little achievements and remember to give yourself credit. Each completed action will have its own positive momentum.
Appreciate and recognise all the good things already in your life. See how your developing business is adding positive experiences to your life.
The old saying ‘Life is not a Dress Rehearsal” is on my notice board and so resonates with me.
I will leave you with one encouraging quotation:
‘You can have anything you want
if you want it badly enough.
You can be anything you want to be,
if you hold that desire with singleness of purpose.’
Abraham Lincoln.
Return to Top
