When I talk to people about getting started in remote work, I hear so many misinformed ideas about the lifestyle. It’s almost like the concept of a remote lifestyle has this mystical quality. People either get stuck on the mysteries or have starry-eyed illusions about magical successes.
I come across all sorts of wild concepts: Some people think they can get away with as little work as possible while still making a ton of money. Some imagine that only a limited number of extremely talented, qualified people can make a real living while working in a remote lifestyle.
As it turns out, starting a business and working from the comfort of your home is both harder and easier than you might expect.
Let me give you the inside scoop on what it’s really like.
Dispelling the Myths
When you start a business, you learn pretty quickly about all the ways you’ve over- or underestimated the elements that go into the process. If you enter into this world unaware, it can get discouraging. Let me correct six myths to help you grasp a more realistic view of what remote entrepreneurship really takes.
It’ll Be Fast
If you get into remote business because you think it’s an easy way to make a quick buck… you might be in for a disappointment.
Building a successful business takes time. You’ll spend long hours working on the front end to get things off the ground, and you need to be ready for long-term involvement. The type of work you do on a daily basis will change as your business grows, but you have to remain consistent.
I advise people to aim for several profitable ways to make money fast in order to get a business up and running. That doesn’t mean you’ll become a millionaire overnight, but it does mean that you will have a budget to build on.
It’ll Be Easy
As your business grows, your role evolves. You can hire more employees or outsource tasks. But in the beginning, be prepared to put in the bulk of the work.
Learn from your mistakes—get comfortable getting it wrong. Your ideas will sometimes flop, and you might feel like giving up. The most successful people learn from their failures and move on to the next idea. Every well-known innovator and business owner has failed more times than you might imagine, but they all figured out a way to learn from successful and failed efforts.
Thomas Edison was asked if he got discouraged about his failures toward certain efforts and inventions. He responded with something like this: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Lightbulb moments don’t arrive out of the blue, but through putting in continuous effort, brainstorming, and never giving up.
It Takes No Training
Online “gurus” make money by promoting the idea that you can build a business with no prior experience. Is that actually true?
Yes… and no. The answer is multifaceted. My experience tells me that any average person can learn most skills they need to run a remote business. With some dedicated, intentional time, most can start a successful business and learn more about it along the way.
On the other hand, you do actually have to learn and gain experience to grow. While you can start with just a little skill and knowledge, you won’t get very far if you don’t work to improve and learn all you can about your niche.
People that tell you that you can start making millions right off the bat with little to no effort just want your money. Don’t fall for it.
It’ll Be Hard
While developing a business takes effort, I believe anyone can put in the work and eventually find success.
In my experience, nothing I did was actually “hard” once I learned how to do it. I had to apply myself, make routines, and follow up on my efforts. It took a while to develop a mindset and habits that led me to success, but the tasks and skills themselves weren’t difficult to learn.
If you want to build the remote business you dream of, the hardest part is to develop a spirit of endurance. Whatever efforts and ideas you try, you need to be consistent.
Only a Select Few People Can Be Successful
Some people think about success like a pie—that there’s only so much success that gets divvied out. If you’re not one of those special people at the front of the line that gets a slice, you miss out.
The idea that there are not enough pieces of the pie is a myth! In fact, thinking about success in this way will limit your abilities. Today’s market gets more and more expansive as new businesses develop, industries move online, and customer bases extend across the globe.
You don’t have to have completely new and unique ideas. You don’t have to have a ground-breaking business model to make money. Just put in the work, learn from your mistakes, and consistently apply yourself.
You Can Do It Solo
While entrepreneurship often requires a bunch of solo-style work, you need to move past the idea that you can do work your way to success completely on your own.
First, you’ll need to outsource responsibilities. Yeah, you might have the knowledge and skill to do everything in your business, but your time is also a valuable commodity. If I had learned to outsource sooner instead of doing every single menial task myself, I could have built up my business much faster.
Think of outsourcing as an investment into your business. You put in some money, and you get back time. My goal is to have less to do on a daily basis, and my team helps me do those required daily tasks. Then, I get time to focus on big picture details, like development and networking.
Second, you need encouragement and support. Consider joining a mastermind group, get encouragement from your family and friends, or join an online group designed to offer support and ongoing training. Ideally, you might have all three to propel you toward success.
If you want to gain strong support and learn how to build a recession-proof, automated business, check out our FREE 15-minute training, so you can work your way to at least $8k per month of revenue, and fast.