Be the Solution
Lots of people who are just starting out with their online businesses are stymied by a question that is central to the endeavor: What should my online business be about? Since most people have money as one of their main motives, lots of people make the mistake of thinking solely along the lines of what they think will be most profitable. It’s not that profitability is bad, of course, it’s just that it may not be enough to carry you through the rough waters of getting your business off the ground and keeping it going.
So what should your business be about then? Probably the best way to answer that question is to spend some serious time thinking about who YOU are and what kind of subject is nearest to your heart. The goal is to align profitability with something that can also give your life purpose and meaning because you believe so strongly in it. The best way to find meaning? Be the solution to a given problem. And if your product provides a clear solution to a problem enough people have, the good news is that product will probably practically sell itself.
So think of a problem within your subject, come up with a unique and / or affordable solution, and sell it online. Of course, in the online arena, one of the best ways to do this is by creating an ebook and then selling it, but this could also mean a physical product that solves something for a group of people. Your blog or website then will be devoted to attracting traffic by drawing people in with your devotion and passion for your topic and your willingness to help people with a given problem or set of problems. As such, the blog plays a supporting role in your business. Were you planning on making money just with your blog? While it is true that you can make money with ads, most online entrepreneurs also have something they sell, with supplemental income coming from products they support and promote as affiliates.
What does such an online business look like? The following three sites took a problem that many people have: too much stuff, too much work, too much devotion to accumulating things and not enough attention paid to experiences and happiness, and built online businesses around them. Whether or not this is a problem you yourself have, it is interesting to see the way these sites have monetized their owners’ passions. Check them out for some inspiration on how you can do the same.
Rowdy Kittens
Zen Habits
Far Beyond the Stars
