You may have noticed that being successful online isn’t as easy as it was just a few years ago. The competition keeps growing and Google keeps making it harder to cut through the clutter. Techniques that used to work, may have little to no effect now. Or worse, techniques used before may actually penalize your chances of success online now. It’s difficult to keep up.

If you can get past the marketing challenges, then what about your offer? Is your product or service good enough? Can you solve a problem and meet the demands of buyers? Believe it or not, what you choose to bring to market isn’t the most important part to being successful online. You could choose to sell just about anything and be a success if you have what it takes and the tools and know-how to get there.

Being an entrepreneur isn’t for everyone

Entrepreneurs are a special kind of breed. There’s always something new to learn and having the desire and drive to keep going isn’t always easy. But every successful entrepreneur has that entrepreneurial spark within them. They aren’t happy unless they’re paving their own road. Over the years, I’ve met a lot of successful entrepreneurs and I’ve noticed that there are some key characteristics that each of them possesses. Some of these things can be learned, while others have to come from within.

Do you have what it takes?

Take a look at the following list. On a sheet of paper (or a napkin if that’s all you have handy), list out the core characteristics shown below. Next, rank each characteristic from 0 to 4 based on what you feel is a strength or a weakness.

0 = definitely a weakness, 1= somewhat of a weakness, 2 = neither a strength nor a weakness, 3 = mostly a strength, 4 = definitely a strength.

  • Focus – you can’t afford to chase after every shiny thing you see or you’ll never get anywhere.
  • Motivation – if you don’t have that internal voice, driving you forward, and a reason to keep going, you’ll likely quit.
  • Passion – if you’re not truly passionate about the service, product, course or whatever you’re offering, your end result will suffer if you even make it off the ground.
  • Spontinaity – you have to be willing to jump on an opportunity when it comes along, even if that means that sometimes the opportunity doesn’t pan out the way you had hoped.
  • Creativity – any entrepreneur needs to be able to think outside the box and to try new things, even if no one else has done them before.
  • Belief – you must believe that you can succeed!

Now that you have your numbers, add them up. How did you do?

0-10 Points

The bad news – While not impossible, you might want to consider another career path. Entrepreneurialship just may not resonate well with your soul’s desires.

The good news – Online success doesn’t REQUIRE you to have these strengths. Having a few of them just makes things a lot easier. Finding ways to improve your weaknesses to turn them into strength will have a significant impact on your ability to succeed online.

11-15 Points

The bad news – When left to your own devices, you will struggle a lot as an entrepreneur and it may take a number of failed attempts before finding success if you can manage to keep going long enough to get there. Starting a business may require a higher overall investment or sacrifice for you. This could mean your time, money, or even your relationships.

The good news – With the right support network, proper training, and learning the best marketing techniques, you can significantly improve your chances of finding success online. If you focus on ways to improve your weaknesses and turn them into strengths, you will create more success for yourself.

16-19 Points

The bad news – You may not be ready to commit to entrepreneurship on your own just yet. Your weaknesses may hold you back and cause you to stumble. You may struggle with wanting to give up or drop one idea to try another one before you’ve fully given the first idea a chance.

The good news – With the right support network, proper training, and learning the best marketing techniques, you can significantly improve your chances of finding success online. If you focus on ways to improve your weaknesses and turn them into strengths, you will create more success for yourself.

20-24 Points

The bad news – Generally for people in this range, one or two areas are a bit of a weakness. Oftentimes focus can be an issue. The next shiny object or opportunity can pull you from your goals and slow you down. Be careful.

The good news – You are way ahead of a lot of people and well suited for online success. Finding the right support network, training, and learning all that you can about proper marketing techniques (or finding someone that can do them for you), will strengthen your chances for online success.

What else can you do to be successful online?

You may think this sounds crazy, but do it!  Search your industry for a leader. Find someone in your industry that IS successful and then do what they do. Copy them. No, don’t plagiarize their content, but do what they do. Study what they’re doing and figure out what’s working, then copy it. Copy their landing page layouts (again, not the actual graphics or content – think wireframe). Sign up for their products or downloads or programs. See what emails they send and how often. Check out their sales funnel. Take notes, and then go create your own version of everything they’re doing but for your own product, service, or program, etc.

From a very young age we learn from watching others and we learn what works and what doesn’t. In business, it’s no different. Find a leader to follow.

Taking the next step

I hope you found this article helpful in determining if you have what it takes to be successful online. If you’re ready to take your business to the next level but you aren’t sure where to start, sign up for our Simply Yes! newsletter for tips, tutorials, and techniques you can use in your own business.

PLUS, as a new subscriber, you are given a one-time-opportunity to set up a free, 15-minute, no-obligation phone call to discuss an issue or concern you’re currently dealing with in your business. We’ll listen and provide advice to help get you to the next step. Why? Because sometimes it’s helpful to hear the perspective of someone on the outside.