What are the main benefits of starting an online business?
Why should you consider owning and starting a digital business in the first place?
Should you choose an online business or stick to the more familiar traditional brick and mortar business?
These are the kind of questions most people are likely to ask when they are starting out.
Perhaps you have decided you want to become an entrepreneur and start an online business, but you are not quite sure which business model you should choose to start your entrepreneurial journey.
Choosing the right online business is essential depending on your circumstances and what suits you best.
Take time to investigate what you really want to do and what you hope your digital business will bring to your life.
There are advantages and disadvantages to online and offline businesses.
However, for the purpose of this blog, we will be focusing mainly on the online business as it offers more benefits and it is much quicker to start with, plus the learning curve could be shortened with the right training.
Now let us evaluate the benefits of starting an online business.
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#1: Cost-Effective
Depending on the business model you choose, you can start up with minimum costs.
At most you could start from roughly $0-60 a month with just a basic site or online platform, including hosting and email service.
As times goes by, your costs are likely to increase a bit as you grow.
For example:
- Investing in your business knowledge
- Introducing additional tools for business growth and development
- Advertising & marketing
- Accounting
- Outsourcing some of your business activities to freelancers or (VAs) virtual assistants to help move your business forward when you require an extra hand at a reasonably modest fee.
- Etc
For sure, the business overheads of an online business are much lower than your typical traditional brick and mortar business.
Your office building is wherever you choose to work, could be at your local cafe, bedroom, at a hotel or a lovely beach somewhere exotic.
An example of an ideal model which requires fewer costs to start up with is affiliate marketing, where you will be promoting other people’s products and services.
This could provide you with a good start on how to make money online.
It is highly recommended creating your own website or online platform.
Firstly because it is an asset that you fully own and control.
Secondly, because your site is basically your home base, allowing you to build your brand, be found online, build authority & trust as well as creating additional revenue streams from it.
Such as promoting your products, services, affiliate offers, sponsored content or displaying Ads.
You will have full control of what things you want to promote from different companies.
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#2: Mobility
Run your internet business from anywhere in the world 24/7.
All you need is a laptop and internet connection.
Your office could be your bedroom or a sandy beach somewhere on a beautiful island in Africa.
It is ideal if you are travelling and simply want to make money whilst enjoying your self.
This is where the idea of having location freedom come to materialize as you are not limited to, from where you can work by time or location.
You are basically a free agent, responsible for your own fate.
#3: Greater Earning Potential
There is no limit on how much money you can make online.
It all depends on your effort and the type of business model you choose.
The more time you dedicate to your business the more chances you have of increasing and diversifying your income.
You can choose from a range of profitable business models to monetize your blog, website, channel, store, podcast, skills, expertise, passions, business ideas and increase your earning potential.
So long as you are willing to learn and try new stuff, you will be able to make money.
4: Flexibility
Opportunity to experiment with trial and error before investing too much of your time and money.
It may be that you want to test things out before you fully immerse yourself in the business.
It is better to have an idea earlier on in the process whether you want to continue with the business model you have selected or abandon it altogether and try something completely different.
For a few months, I was able to experiment with a number of drop shipping businesses.
The first involved selling women fashion clothes, the second was based on trending products, and the third related to promoting baby accessories.
They could all have been profitable had I committed to them and were allowed to mature to some degree.
I knew early on, it wasn’t something I was very keen on or interested in to pursue it any longer than necessary.
You can always create businesses whose main role is to generate income even though you have no interest or passion with them.
This is not necessarily a bad thing especially at the beginning when you are desperately trying to generate revenue quickly to keep you going.
The phrase ‘money sites‘ come to my mind!
It is entirely up to you, also don’t forget that you can always have more than one business model.
Start with one, make a success of it and later on aim to create more.
Bear in mind, that it is always advisable to fully commit to a business you have selected, in order to give it a maximum chance of success.
But should you want to change course… be rest assured that you also have that option.
I personally like to pursue things that:
- Solve a problem or satisfy a need for my audience and customers
- Serve and contribute to the lives and success of others
- Require minimum work/costs to operate and manage
- Profitable
- As well as those that bring me joy and satisfaction throughout my creative process
I was able to halt all the three businesses quickly because I had no inventory to look after as the suppliers took care on this side of things.
It would have been a completely different story if these were brick and mortar businesses, or worst still a business which required me to buy the stock as well as handling and managing my own inventory.
With online business, you can experiment, validate the model/niche/market and fail/learn fast then pivot to something else entirely different.
The flexibility is always there for you.
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#5: Automation & Outsourcing
Your online business can be some-what automated.
It all depends if you want to be hands-on, don’t mind delegating some business activities to other people by outsourcing their services or use tools to do the automation for you.
If for example, you are running an e-commerce business such as Amazon not as an affiliate but rather you are selling your own private label products via Amazon platform, you can opt-in for FBA which stands for fulfilled by Amazon.
They will take care of everything for you including customer service, returns, refunds, packaging and delivery of products to your customers.
There are many tools and resources you can use to automate your business tasks or get some else to do them on your behalf for a reasonable fee.
It is not uncommon nowadays to see many entrepreneurs who are short for time hiring virtual assistants to help them increase productivity and skyrocket their business to unthinkable success.
Typical outsourcing tasks for a blogger could be, getting their online content researched, created and promoted to social media channels.
This can save tons of valuable time for the entrepreneur or blogger which enables them to focus on major tasks of scaling and taking their business to another level.
Essential Business Startup Tools & Resources
#6: Networking
The ability to network with other online entrepreneurs in your industry and learn from each other is made easier.
You don’t have to be in the same city or country.
All can be done online.
Hanging out with like-minded people can be beneficial for you and your business, where you can learn from each other, share strategies, tactics, and ideas to help grow your business.
#7: Branding
Opportunity to brand your self and become an authority in your chosen niche.
The more authentic, trustworthy and engaging you are with your audience you are more likely to do well and be able to sell your services and products to them as they identify and connect with you.
People like to follow and emulate influencers whom they can relate to and understand their issues and needs.
If you are able to build authority for your self and the business you are promoting, you will, without a doubt be able to attract a big following who are hungry and ready to hear what you have to say and offer.
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#8: Large Following
Provided you are able to master digital marketing skills and connect with your audience, you can reach numerous people worldwide than if you were to run your small business offline.
This can be done via social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, TikTok, Reddit, Tumblr, and, LinkedIn, etc.
Fortunately for us, we live in a time where with correct digital marketing strategies and tactics, an entrepreneur who knows what they are doing can easily build a gigantic fan base.
As a result of which he or she will be able to promote their business effectively and efficiently within a short period of time.
#9: Building a Community
You will have the ability to build a community around your service, product or personal/company’s brand.
You will be able to ‘serve’ and provide effective ‘support’ to your tribe where you get to learn and hear first hand the type of issues affecting your audience.
This will help form a better relationship and ‘trust’ between you and the people you are serving.
You will also get to ‘humanized’ your brand where your audience will be able to see that you a real person who truly cares for their concerns and issues.
#10: Building Great Assets
You are building future ‘assets‘.
Once matured and successful, your online business can be flipped by selling it to a higher bidder, if this is the route you desire to take where you can pocket a handsome return for your hard work.
The skill-set you will be acquiring in your journey as an online entrepreneur will without a doubt allow you to create invaluable assets for yourself.
Your expertise and knowledge could open many opportunities for you such as being able to:
- Create other successful online/offline ventures
- Become an inspirational key-note speaker where you get invited to share ‘helpful’ insights, knowledge, perspectives and expertise on your chosen field
- Publish books
- Become a serial entrepreneur/investor
- Start a non-profit/initiatives dedicated to serving humanity and contributing towards making a positive impact in the world
- Create a lasting legacy for yourself and your loved ones
- Travel the world and gain new experiences
- Fill the _______________ and see what else your imagination can come up with
- Etc
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Take Home Message
It is my hope that the 10 benefits of starting an online business listed above, will help you decide and confirm if an internet business is a viable option for you or not.
Granted, there is a bit of a learning curve to contend with, then again even the traditional business model, will also equally require you to learn new skills you are not familiar with.
You are hopefully an entrepreneur in the making, so do not be afraid to take calculated risks.
Be willing to try and explore new territories you have not tried before.
You will never know what you can achieve unless you try.
The online entrepreneurship bug is addictive, once you start, you will never want to stop.
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You may also like to read and explore:
- How To Come Up with an Amazing Business Idea In 4 Simple Steps
- How To Make Money Online – The Essential Beginner’s Guide
- Business Plan Template – How To Plan For Your Business Goals
- Entrepreneur Store – Quality Affordable Done For You Solutions
- Digital Startup Blueprint – Roadmap To Kick-Start Your Biz Like The Pros
- 10 Top Entrepreneur Tips And Strategies for Ambitious Entrepreneurs
- 21 Deadly Mistakes of Entrepreneurship: And How You Can Fix Them
- Customer Avatar – How To Uncover Your Target Audience Pain Points
- FREE Email Training – How To Add Up To 10K Subscribers In 90 Days!
- Video Marketing: How To Grow Your Business With Videos -Try for FREE
I love to hear what you think of these 10 benefits of starting an online business .
Do you have more to share with us? – Leave us your comments below.
Don’t forget to share the article with your friends. Thank you.
Some really great advice on why to start an online business! Thanks for your help and thankyou for sharing 🙂
Glad to hear it, Robbie!
Thank you for your valuable feedback.
Kudos for the great and informative post on choosing the right home based business, Rabia! A lot of people don’t even have much belief in the home based business due to past frustrations and failures, though the issue is that people are always on the lookout for get-rich-quick programs.
Thanks for enumerating the major benefits of starting an online business! You really discussed relevant and major points which would create an insight into starting an internet business for newbies.
I have just called my regular job a final quit and will never go back into the 9 – 5 white-collar job anymore. So, mobility is a major point to consider when it comes to what anyone can benefit from starting an online business. Earning online is unlimited and can be maximized with strategies.
Thanks for the informative and helpful post, Rabia!
Wish you breakthroughs,
Israel Olatunji
Hey Israel
How is it going? Thank you for your useful insights and contribution to this post.
Is it not amazing that people don’t believe in the home-based business due to past failures and negative experience, but are ready to spend tons of money on scams because they have been made to believe it is easy? I should know better, I found out the hard way.
They give up so easily when what they need is to find the right training program or mentor to guide them through their business’s journey. Acquiring the right knowledge and knowing how to apply it is key to achieving success in online business. Everyone is unique and will have a different experience, some will be too terrified to try again, others will be undecided and the rest will be the action takers and they are the ones who are more likely to succeed.
Many happy congrats! You don’t know how pleased I am to hear your news. You have made it!
It inspires me and gives hope to the rest of us that we too one day will be able to quit our jobs and work full time on our businesses. And When I say full time, I mean a couple of hours a day, as the last thing we want is to be too consumed and burned out by our business ventures. This is where delegation and automation come into play.
Thanks again.
Best wishes in your business ventures.
Thank you for your article. Working from home and earning income is what I have wanted for many years . I have just recently decided to take the plunge again. I have tried many times in the past and had given up as they were mostly a scam or had nothing but up sells.
The video you shared pretty much explains why we look to the internet for that work from home job.
I must admit, after reading about , flexibilty, automation, networking, branding and large flowing, I felt a little intimidated. But I have faith that with the right affiliate I can succeed.
Thank you for your article. It put a better prospective on becoming an online business.
Hi Lee Ann
Nice to meet you and thank you so much for sharing your views on this topic. Congratulations for taking the plunge and for deciding to start your own online business. I can totally relate to you on the scams. I have been there and lost count on how much money I wasted on products and services that were useless and misleading. The only people making more were the company themselves. Don’t be put off to start again. Your past mistakes and failures do not define your future. The most important thing I have learnt is to select the right business model and training program you can follow to the T where you will not be left alone to struggle to work things out for your self. I recommend one or 2 products on my sites for the same reason. I focus on quality products that I know to be genuine and have the best interest for me and aspiring entrepreneurs such as your self. The next requirement is your dedication to learning. I will not say is going to be easy, but if you can focus and are willing to put in the work, you have every chance to succeed as any one else. It takes time to build a solid foundation for your business but once is set, you will see things beginning to fall into place. Follow the training, stick to the process and commit to your business wholeheartedly.
I wish you all the best in your entrepreneurship’s journey. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you need any help.
There’s so many brilliant reasons to start an online business as you’ve listed here. The beauty is it can work for just about anyone with the right attitude and commitment. For me, I am creating freedom to travel and be a nomad with my family. We have gipsy souls.
Thank you Lace. You are right. All you need is commitment, determination and the drive to succeed. The hard work you put in will eventually pay for it self. Keep up the nomadic way and free life style, you are reaping the benefit of your hard labour.
Hi Rabia, this reminded me of an old article on Tim Ferriss blog, where he explained a step-by-step how they created an online “muse” as they used to call it. Maybe you would like to check it out: https://tim.blog/2013/10/28/business-mentorship-and-muses/
Cheers!
Hi Simo
Thank you for stopping by.
Great suggestion. I will definitely check it out. I read one of his book , the 4 hour week. It’s brilliant. He has so much in sight into the online business space and such a great example of success for many of us.