Ready Entrepreneur

The Purpose of Entrepreneurship

Throughout economic history, entrepreneurs have been the dedicated risk-takers who transformed whole societies. But as an aspiring entrepreneur, you may wonder what your role could be. Maybe it’s to change at least one life, with the value you have to offer. Or maybe it really is to change the world also.

Below is The Purpose of Entrepreneurship YouTube video, and the video transcript.

Video Transcript

When you think about what makes a great life – what comes to mind?

Is it having a bunch of these…?

Or is it what you can do with this?

People want – health, wealth and happiness (usually meaning relationships or love) –

And if you have an idea that can get them closer to one or all three – you have an opportunity.

You see, if people knew what to do to get what they want, they would just do it, right?

But most people do not know what to do…they want to know, but they do not.

So what do you know that you can tell them?

You may not realize it, but you probably have some kind of expertise or an interest that other people share. 

And when you do, if you are willing to put in a little effort, you can go online and build a business around your interest and get it out there to the people who want it most.

Yes, a business.  An online business.

You can become an entrepreneur.

Entrepreneurship is about solving problems. Finding gaps that need to be filled…and filling them.

It’s about delivering value to those who want or need what you have to offer.

It’s about being a contributor.

It’s about being a producer.

It’s about making a difference.

You might have thought about an idea…that could bring value to others…

You might have thought about becoming an entrepreneur…

And if you have, you might realize that…

The purpose of entrepreneurship is to deliver value through your product or service.

This…?

This has its role, but you don’t get to this without having value to offer in the first place.

Value that other people can use.

Yes, people care about themselves…what’s in it for them…

If you will put in the time that they won’t…

If you will do the research that they won’t…

If you will take the risks that they won’t…

They…become your customers…getting from you the value you can deliver.

That’s what entrepreneurship is all about… and that’s your opportunity.

The next step is yours…

I’m Case Lane, the author of Recast, a book about the first ten actions to take when getting started with an online business.

You recast to play a new role in your own life…this time as an online entrepreneur.

You take practical action to overcome your own doubts and distractions, and do what you have been thinking about doing.

Becoming an entrepreneur and starting your own business is about giving yourself a chance to live the life you have always wanted to live…

Do work that creates value and gives you meaning and purpose in your life…

Make yourself busy, involved and committed to doing something…anything that’s about going forward not backward…

Set yourself up for a future you want to live in…not one that will be handed to you

Entrepreneurship is about being free…

It’s not just about this…although you can do a lot with lots of these…

Most importantly, you can do what you want…

For those you most want to do it for.

If you are an aspiring entrepreneur, and it’s time to take the aspiring out…

Take a look at the description for this video to get access to resources you can use right now to get your online business started.

Video Description

Recast Inspiration to Start Your Own Business. This video is called The Only Fair Trade…the value you add for the Benjamins.

FREE // Learn the first 5 Actions to take when getting started with an online business. It’s not what you may be thinking think…but it may be the answer to getting past your procrastination and distractions. Download here: https://www.caselane.net/recast-actions

Maybe like you, I did all the ‘right’ things to end up in all the ‘right’ places only to discover that what I really wanted to do was contribute and add value on my terms. I started out in the online business game chasing all the shiny apples, only to discover that none of them laid out a clear plan for actually getting started with an online business, and working through the details to launch a business.

So I’ve learned the lessons, and now I pass them on to you…

Recast is the path you need to follow FIRST before you take any more confusing steps towards becoming an online entrepreneur.

WHAT TO WATCH NEXT If you have business ideas in your head, but you’re still thinking maybe entrepreneurship is not for you, you must FIND THE CONFIDENCE TO START YOUR BUSINESS, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xstvw…

GET THE RECAST BOOK

Recast is my Practical Guide to Getting Started with Your Online Business. You will learn the foundational actions to take to set yourself up for success, followed by the creative actions that take you towards launching your online business. These are the practical actions no one talks about, but everyone should do BEFORE you start chasing a specific online business ‘magic’ plan. Click here for the book: https://caselane.com/books/recast/

TAKE THE DOMINATE ONLINE BUSINESS COURSE

Already set to get your online business started? Get all the training and information you need to launch your business in the Dominate the Year Start Your Online Business course. This comprehensive program is like no other – it’s total and complete details for you to understand the online business landscape, pick your idea, pick your platform, create your content, find your niche market, launch with confidence…and much, much more. Learn more about the course here: https://www.caselane.net/dominate-course

Get more information…much more about how to move from ‘aspiring’ entrepreneur to online entrepreneur at the Ready Entrepreneur website https://www.readyentrepreneur.com/

CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook @readyentrepreneurHQ https://www.facebook.com/readyentrepr…

Facebook @recastmovement https://www.facebook.com/groups/recas…

Instagram @readyentrepreneur https://www.instagram.com/readyentrep…

Pinterest @caselane https://www.pinterest.com/caselaneworld/

YouTube Case Lane channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCovz…

Twitter @caselaneworld https://twitter.com/CaseLaneWorld

Podcast: The Ready Entrepreneur podcast available wherever you listen to podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast…

WHO IS CASE LANE?

Hello, I’m Case Lane. I’m a global entrepreneur, writer, traveler and observer to the future.

But to start out, I followed all the traditional paths and ended up as a lawyer, economist, corporate executive, management consultant and diplomat.

Along the way I lived, worked and studied in ten different countries, learned to speak three languages, and became focused on economic development through business enterprise.

In my travels and living in different countries, I observed how entrepreneurs in all economic circumstances take the resources at hand, and build not only thriving businesses, but rising wealth. In the humblest rural small towns, or in the midst of a chaotic unregulated urban centers, action-takers who want to start a business implement their ideas, change their lives, and the community around them.

I decided to bring those similar tactics to a broader audience by creating Ready Entrepreneur as a comprehensive guide for taking your business from IDEA to OPEN.

And I wrote Recast, specifically to help you get started, when you have no idea how to begin your entrepreneurial journey.

I want to make sure you have practical, doable action you can take right now, to get past the obstacles that have been holding you back from pursuing your dreams.

If you think this sounds right to you, subscribe to my channel, and make sure you get your free copy of the Recast First 5 Actions so that you don’t miss more great information that you can use to get started as an online entrepreneur.

#caselane #readyentrepreneur #recastbook #recastmovement #aspiringentrepreneur #onlinebusiness #startanonlinebusiness #onlinebusinesstips #entrepreneurinspiration #inspirationtostartabusiness #onlineentrepreneur

Your Only Hope…is You

In a world where many believe money is the answer to all your problems, you may soon find out that really…you are the answer.

If you are a thinker who considers opportunity to grow and evolve as a challenge, then you have the chance to transform your life and lives of those around you.

Without people like you, we would not know how to move forward. But you have to learn to believe in yourself and what you can do.

Below is the Your Only Hope YouTube video and the video transcript

Video Transcript

Is this your only hope?  If you only had more of these everything would be great…

You could pay all your bills, the mortgage, credit cards…

Set up the kids college funds…

Know that retirement will be relaxed and easy…

If you only had more of these…

When did it all get so difficult, so hard…

Why didn’t anyone tell you…teach you how to be wealthy and successful…

You know some people are just born with money, some people have great teachers and get great information, some people are lucky, some people have wonderful parents, and some people…

Earn it.

Oh yeah…there’s that too…

The fact that you can actually just earn these by delivering some kind of value to others that they will exchange for these.

But what value?

You’ve probably already thought about it.  You’ve probably said…

I can do this better? Or

I wish this was better? Or

I’d like to do this? Or

I’d like to have something that does that?

You might have already recognized the gap that exists between the products and services that are available, and the wants and needs that people have.

And if you have seen that gap AND you’ve thought about how you could fill it.  You’re probably an aspiring entrepreneur.

And if you’re an aspiring entrepreneur…it’s probably time to remove the ‘aspiring’ from your lexicon…

Because if you are the type of person who recognizes gaps, and sees problems AND you have solutions, you have ideas, you actually think about making a difference…

Then you need to act on what you see.

Entrepreneurship is for those who want to contribute, to do more with life than just complain…

And if that’s you, it’s time to start moving forward.

It’s starts with an idea…and it has to continue with action…then you can be that person who sees the other side.

Your only hope is not just more of these.

Your only hope is yourself…

You…how you think and what you do.

No one is going to rescue you…

No one is going to make it easy…

No one else will pay the bills…

No one else will give the people you love the best life possible…

No one else will give you the life you have always dreamed of.

Only you.

You have to put your trust in you and your ability, and make your move.

I’m Case Lane, the author of Recast, a book about the first ten actions to take when getting started with an online business.

You recast to play a new role in your own life…this time as an online entrepreneur.

You take practical action to overcome your own doubts and distractions, and do what you have been thinking about doing, which is to start your own business.

Becoming an entrepreneur and starting your own business is about giving yourself a chance to live the life you have always wanted to live…

Do work that creates value and gives you meaning and purpose in your life…not anger and complaint.

Make yourself busy, involved and committed to doing something…anything…that’s about moving forward not backward…

Set yourself up for a future you want to live in…not one that will be handed to you

Entrepreneurship is about being free…

It’s not just about this…although you can do a lot with this…

You can do what you want…

For those you most want to do it for.

If you are an aspiring entrepreneur, it’s time to take away the aspiring…

Take a look at the description for this video to get access to resources you can use right now to get your online business started.

Video Description

Recast Inspiration to Start Your Own Business. This video is called Your Only Hope…is You.

FREE // Learn the first 5 Actions to take when getting started with an online business. It’s not what you may be thinking think…but it may be the answer to getting past your procrastination and distractions. Download here: https://www.caselane.net/recast-actions

Maybe like you, I did all the ‘right’ things to end up in all the ‘right’ places only to discover that what I really wanted to do was contribute and add value on my terms. I started out in the online business game chasing all the shiny apples, only to discover that none of them laid out a clear plan for actually getting started with an online business, and working through the details to launch a business.

So I’ve learned the lessons, and now I pass them on to you…

Recast is the path you need to follow FIRST before you take any more confusing steps towards becoming an online entrepreneur.

WHAT TO WATCH NEXT

If you have business ideas in your head, but you’re still thinking maybe entrepreneurship is not for you, you must FIND THE CONFIDENCE TO START YOUR BUSINESS, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xstvw…

GET THE RECAST BOOK

Recast is my Practical Guide to Getting Started with Your Online Business. You will learn the foundational actions to take to set yourself up for success, followed by the creative actions that take you towards launching your online business. These are the practical actions no one talks about, but everyone should do BEFORE you start chasing a specific online business ‘magic’ plan. Click here for the book: https://caselane.com/books/recast/

TAKE THE DOMINATE ONLINE BUSINESS COURSE

Already set to get your online business started? Get all the training and information you need to launch your business in the Dominate the Year Start Your Online Business course. This comprehensive program is like no other – it’s total and complete details for you to understand the online business landscape, pick your idea, pick your platform, create your content, find your niche market, launch with confidence…and much, much more. Learn more about the course here: https://www.caselane.net/dominate-course

Get more information…much more about how to move from ‘aspiring’ entrepreneur to online entrepreneur at the Ready Entrepreneur website https://www.readyentrepreneur.com/

CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook @readyentrepreneurHQ https://www.facebook.com/readyentrepr…

Facebook @recastmovement https://www.facebook.com/groups/recas…

Instagram @readyentrepreneur https://www.instagram.com/readyentrep…

Pinterest @caselane https://www.pinterest.com/caselaneworld/

YouTube Case Lane channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCovz…

Twitter @caselaneworld https://twitter.com/CaseLaneWorld

Podcast: The Ready Entrepreneur podcast available wherever you listen to podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast…

WHO IS CASE LANE?

Hello, I’m Case Lane. I’m a global entrepreneur, writer, traveler and observer to the future.

But to start out, I followed all the traditional paths and ended up as a lawyer, economist, corporate executive, management consultant and diplomat.

Along the way I lived, worked and studied in ten different countries, learned to speak three languages, and became focused on economic development through business enterprise.

In my travels and living in different countries, I observed how entrepreneurs in all economic circumstances take the resources at hand, and build not only thriving businesses, but rising wealth. In the humblest rural small towns, or in the midst of a chaotic unregulated urban centers, action-takers who want to start a business implement their ideas, change their lives, and the community around them.

I decided to bring those similar tactics to a broader audience by creating Ready Entrepreneur as a comprehensive guide for taking your business from IDEA to OPEN.

And I wrote Recast, specifically to help you get started, when you have no idea how to begin your entrepreneurial journey.

I want to make sure you have practical, doable action you can take right now, to get past the obstacles that have been holding you back from pursuing your dreams.

If you think this sounds right to you, subscribe to my channel, and make sure you get your free copy of the Recast First 5 Actions so that you don’t miss more great information that you can use to get started as an online entrepreneur.

#caselane #readyentrepreneur #recastbook #recastmovement #aspiringentrepreneur #onlinebusiness #startanonlinebusiness #onlinebusinesstips #entrepreneurinspiration #inspirationtostartabusiness #onlineentrepreneur

The Only Fair Trade is from the Value You Add

Inspiration for Starting Your Online Business

The only fair trade in life is to offer your best for the best that others have to offer. As an aspiring entrepreneur, you are constantly on the lookout for where you can add value and be productive. You are participating as a contributor and producer in the world.

That’s the best way to function.

Below is The Only Fair Trade YouTube video, and the video transcript.

Video Transcript

This is the only entity in the world…actually in the universe…that is not sexist, racist, agist, homophobic or discriminatory in any way…

This goes to whoever wants it…

And it knows who wants it…because those who want it demonstrate their desire every day by…adding value

By being contributors…

Producers…

Those who are moving forward…not obstructing the way

And this knows to go to them to because value is what is most appreciated in our world today.

In fact, we are desperate for it.

For those who recognize a need, see a problem, and don’t just talk about it…but actually deliver a solution for it.

We are desperate for those people…

We demonstrate our desperation every day through our searches, our questions, our asks in every way…help…

If you have an idea, a way to solve a problem, to lighten the load, to change the world…you need to get your idea out in front of the people who want it…and you can do that by starting your own online business that is focused on delivering a solution.

Starting a business is not what it used to be. You don’t have to be tinkering in a garage or pitching to stuffy investors or giving up your life savings for a location on a shopping street…

…because you start online, where many resources are free or inexpensive.

You can test your idea, discover your niche market, cultivate your customer avatar…all without spending a lot of these.

And you can find out what works, so that you can build and grow your business idea from that foundation.

This…will come to you if your idea has value

You don’t have to be making millions, or billions…

You just have to find enough people  – as you determine by your own definition of success – who want your product…because it’s valuable to them – it’s a solution they have been looking for.

This is the best time in history to start your own business – you have the convergence of two important facts…

The Internet which gives you the resources you need…

And access to the Global Marketplace – through the Internet – which allows you to reach the world with your idea.

It’s all before you…

And this…is all around you…

The next step is yours…

I’m Case Lane, the author of Recast, a book about the first ten actions to take when getting started with an online business.

You recast to play a new role in your own life…this time as an online entrepreneur.

You take practical action to overcome your own doubts and distractions, and do what you have been thinking about doing.

Becoming an entrepreneur and starting your own business is about giving yourself a chance to live the life you have always wanted to live…

Do work that creates value and gives you meaning and purpose in your life…

Make yourself busy, involved and committed to doing something…anything that’s about going forward not backward…

Set yourself up for a future you want to live in…not one that will be handed to you

Entrepreneurship is about being free…

It’s not just about this…although lots of these are a party…

Be active…

Be involved…

Doing what you really want to do…for those you really want to do it for…

That’s the difference when you set out to become an entrepreneur.

And the fastest and best way to do it these days is to become an online entrepreneur.

Take a look at the description for this video to get access to resources you can use right now to get your online business started.

Video Description

Recast Inspiration to Start Your Own Business. This video is called The Only Fair Trade…the value you add for the Benjamins.

FREE // Learn the first 5 Actions to take when getting started with an online business. It’s not what you may be thinking think…but it may be the answer to getting past your procrastination and distractions. Download here: https://www.caselane.net/recast-actions

Maybe like you, I did all the ‘right’ things to end up in all the ‘right’ places only to discover that what I really wanted to do was contribute and add value on my terms. I started out in the online business game chasing all the shiny apples, only to discover that none of them laid out a clear plan for actually getting started with an online business, and working through the details to launch a business.

So I’ve learned the lessons, and now I pass them on to you…

Recast is the path you need to follow FIRST before you take any more confusing steps towards becoming an online entrepreneur.

WHAT TO WATCH NEXT If you have business ideas in your head, but you’re still thinking maybe entrepreneurship is not for you, you must FIND THE CONFIDENCE TO START YOUR BUSINESS, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xstvw…

GET THE RECAST BOOK

Recast is my Practical Guide to Getting Started with Your Online Business. You will learn the foundational actions to take to set yourself up for success, followed by the creative actions that take you towards launching your online business. These are the practical actions no one talks about, but everyone should do BEFORE you start chasing a specific online business ‘magic’ plan. Click here for the book: https://caselane.com/books/recast/

TAKE THE DOMINATE ONLINE BUSINESS COURSE

Already set to get your online business started? Get all the training and information you need to launch your business in the Dominate the Year Start Your Online Business course. This comprehensive program is like no other – it’s total and complete details for you to understand the online business landscape, pick your idea, pick your platform, create your content, find your niche market, launch with confidence…and much, much more. Learn more about the course here: https://www.caselane.net/dominate-course

Get more information…much more about how to move from ‘aspiring’ entrepreneur to online entrepreneur at the Ready Entrepreneur website https://www.readyentrepreneur.com/

CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook @readyentrepreneurHQ https://www.facebook.com/readyentrepr…

Facebook @recastmovement https://www.facebook.com/groups/recas…

Instagram @readyentrepreneur https://www.instagram.com/readyentrep…

Pinterest @caselane https://www.pinterest.com/caselaneworld/

YouTube Case Lane channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCovz…

Twitter @caselaneworld https://twitter.com/CaseLaneWorld

Podcast: The Ready Entrepreneur podcast available wherever you listen to podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast…

WHO IS CASE LANE?

Hello, I’m Case Lane. I’m a global entrepreneur, writer, traveler and observer to the future.

But to start out, I followed all the traditional paths and ended up as a lawyer, economist, corporate executive, management consultant and diplomat.

Along the way I lived, worked and studied in ten different countries, learned to speak three languages, and became focused on economic development through business enterprise.

In my travels and living in different countries, I observed how entrepreneurs in all economic circumstances take the resources at hand, and build not only thriving businesses, but rising wealth. In the humblest rural small towns, or in the midst of a chaotic unregulated urban centers, action-takers who want to start a business implement their ideas, change their lives, and the community around them.

I decided to bring those similar tactics to a broader audience by creating Ready Entrepreneur as a comprehensive guide for taking your business from IDEA to OPEN.

And I wrote Recast, specifically to help you get started, when you have no idea how to begin your entrepreneurial journey.

I want to make sure you have practical, doable action you can take right now, to get past the obstacles that have been holding you back from pursuing your dreams.

If you think this sounds right to you, subscribe to my channel, and make sure you get your free copy of the Recast First 5 Actions so that you don’t miss more great information that you can use to get started as an online entrepreneur.

#caselane #readyentrepreneur #recastbook #recastmovement #aspiringentrepreneur #onlinebusiness #startanonlinebusiness #onlinebusinesstips #entrepreneurinspiration #inspirationtostartabusiness #onlineentrepreneur

The Art of Recasting as an Aspiring Entrepreneur

by Case Lane

For every person who is thinking about getting started with an online business, there is someone who understands why they have waited so long to do it.

The story usually begins with indoctrination into the status quo. The average person – you, me and the neighbors – have been told as long as we can remember that the ‘right’ thing to do with your life is something like finish high school – go to college – get a professional job – get married – get a house with a mortgage – have a family – retire.  If you do that you are said to have ‘made it,’ your time on earth considered well spent.

But if you are reading this article, you may be one of those who wondered if the familiar road really is all ‘they’ say it should be. For some reason, you’re restless. You want more, or something different. Maybe you want to be more or feel that your life has a deeper value or meaning.

Whatever the reason, your thoughts have led you to entrepreneurship, and the promise inherent in building your own enterprise.

The Gold

Entrepreneurship carries the promise of being able to earn enough money to do your own thing, be your own boss, and live as you choose. You can build a community you own by delivering value to enough people who want what you have to offer.

Even though you may have heard all the stories about entrepreneurs working day and night to bring their idea to the public, and then having to fight to get people to believe them, or make a purchase, you still see entrepreneurship as the opportunity you have missed so far.

What’s not to like about living your dream life? Doing work you really enjoy? And having a world you control?

In the back of your mind, you know that if it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and succeeding.  But you know, you’re not ‘everyone.’ You question the status quo, you strive for more, and you are willing to work to get it.

So what should you do next?

Recast Yourself as an Entrepreneur

Since you have followed the familiar road, the first thing you have to do is recast yourself to think and act like an entrepreneur.

If you are in Hollywood or on Broadway, recasting is when the person who got the original part is replaced. Depending on which side you’re on, this is a fantastic or devastating moment. Someone’s big break can be your heartbreak.

The same is true when you recast to entrepreneurship. You are going to play a new role in your own life. That means changing some of the things you do now.

When you recast and start focusing on your business, you are probably going to stop focusing on friends, maybe family, or maybe even the 9-to-5 job you’re doing now. That’s someone else’s loss, so those someones are going to try and stop you from making the move.

So the first thing you have to do to recast is work on your mindset. There is an enormous body of work dedicated to this subject, but the bottom line is you have to know that your mind is controlling your emotions, and therefore your actions.

When someone tells you, you are bad at business, you start to feel bad. You question yourself as you wonder why they came to that conclusion. And you probably ignore your business idea, while you try to come to terms with this feeling.

So make sure you are aware that you are doing this. You will not be able to change your feelings overnight. But each time you hear something negative about your plans, remind yourself why you have decided to become an entrepreneur.

Focus on the work you have to do for getting started like finding somewhere to work and removing distractions. Set aside the time, at least 15 minutes a day to research your business idea. The more you start thinking as a business owner, the more you will become one.  If you make your business plans a core part of your everyday, your recasting will evolve into your version of a new normal.

Set Boundaries With Others

For many aspiring entrepreneurs, losing connection to the people closest to them creates the fear and reluctance associated with starting an online business. It is one thing to recast yourself, but it’s quite another to disentangle from the world you have created.

What do you do when people are used to, or even dependent on, having you around?  

You set boundaries. Not overnight, but over time.

First, decide on your own how you would like the situation to unfold. You can control your plans if you have an idea about where you are going.

So if you want to start a business as a short-term endeavor, or without the pressure of replacing your current income, you can tell your family and friends that you have this plan and will be taking time to work on it, but can be flexible.

If you are looking to replace your income, then you have to say you will take all the time you need, for as long as you need to get it done.

In all cases, remember now you are wearing your entrepreneur hat. You want to walk and talk your business. If appropriate, try incorporating your family and friends into the story. Draw on their strengths to support you. If someone is a good proof-reader have them look at your copy, if your kids like creative design apps have them find your logo.

It may be a little extra work or extra step to draw in those who are trying to hold you back, but it will be worth it.

Create Your Action Plan

Recasting is set-up around two groups of actions – the foundational actions like setting up your workspace that will help you get organized, – and the creative actions like deciding on your business idea.

Once you’ve found your idea and done your research, create an Action Plan that you will work through to establish the business.  Your Action Plan is a fluid document that will constantly be updated and changed. But it’s also a blueprint for moving forward. Use it to decide the actual activities you need to do to get started.

For example, for people in the information products business who want to start by determining the interest in their product, start with a one-page landing page offering a free lead magnet to capture email addresses.  Your Action Plan could be:

  1. Create lead magnet
  2. Set up landing page
  3. Set up email management
  4. Write email sequence for leads
  5. Post landing page URL on all social media

You can also have sub-activities, a more detailed action plan might be:

  1. Create lead magnet
    1. Research potential free products
    1. Write 2-page PDF document
    1. Outsource PDF design to freelancer
  2. Set up landing page
    1. Write landing page copy – headline, text copy
    1. Find images for landing page
    1. Buy domain
      1. Set-up custom domain in landing page app
  3. Set up email management
  4. Write email sequence for leads
    1. Include coaching offer in 10th email
      1. Set up sign-up page for coaching consultations
  5. Post landing page URL on all social media
    1. Create Facebook post about new landing page
    1. Find images for Instagram post
    1. Post one-line for Twitter

As you complete each action, do a quick review to make sure you are still on the right track and aimed at hitting your business goals.

Your Action Plan can also have many sections or different paths. And you can constantly change it, even to the point of starting all over again.

But the key is you have to start.

The Only Way to Finish Strong is to Start

You have to start your online business somewhere. Every major billion-dollar corporation you know started with a simple plan. They made one sale, and they grew from there.

But if you don’t start, you will not get that first sale.

To give yourself the opportunity to make your business dream a reality, you have to make the time to get to work.  Every daily effort is progress towards your goals. Constantly ‘hoping’ to start or ‘planning’ to start will not create an online business for you.

Only starting will.

And starting your business does not have to be an elaborate show. It’s not about filling out a stack of legal forms, or agonizing over a logo, or making sure every line of copy is perfect…it’s about finding out if someone…anyone is interested in the product or service you have to offer.

Business is make a product, sell a product.

If you come up with an idea, the next thing you should do is try and sell it to one person. If you can prove that there is demand for your product, then you can move forward with all the other necessary actions to make your business a viable commercial enterprise.

But spending money on non-revenue generating activities before you know if the product is of interest will only send you down the road to disappointment and abandonment before you have even really started.

As you research before starting your business, think about your first ‘quick win.’ Consider a lead magnet with an email sequence that leads to an inexpensive offer that your dream customers can use to understand the value you deliver.

Focus your attention on this one sequence – changing and updating it as necessary – until you have revenue.  If you cannot get enough people interested, move on to another idea, or adapt and change your plan again.

Your online business is the opportunity you can use to change your life…for the better, and open up all the promises that entrepreneurship offers to those who are willing to do the work.

Give yourself the best chance possible by recasting – changing your mind and actions – to be, become and think as an entrepreneur.

Make Recasting your first action, and then keep going until you have the business you want, the life you seek, and the smile on your face to prove it.

You can get your copy of Recast: The Aspiring Entrepreneur’s Practical Guide to Getting Started With An Online Business by Case Lane at in print, audio or ebook at Amazon.com, or in all digital formats wherever you buy your ebooks.

Disclosure: Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links that earn for eligible purchases at no additional cost to you.

The Unavoidable Two-Income Individual You Will Have to Become

by Case Lane

In a world where labor has disappeared, the stock market is swelling portfolios for the invested, and post-pandemic contemplation has led to a reckoning with one’s life choices, it’s hard to imagine that the average person will have any difficulty living comfortably for the rest of their lives.

But they will…

Underneath the seemingly empowered labor market movements, there is no booming economy, no sense of unrelenting optimism or hopeful joy. But there is a level of fear.

Fear of not having enough money for a successful middle class life, let alone colleges, retirement homes, and the occasional vacation.

As every price for every good and service creeps up, and spending money precipitously falls down, the average person begins to look around and sense that they had best do something soon…meaning, right now.

And that something is…get a second income stream…preferably something online.

Imagine Your Income Coming through Your Computer Screen

The Lure of Entrepreneurship

Even without any looming threat of economic collapse, the average person looks with envy at the Internet millionaires who are living the Instagram lifestyle without seemingly lifting a finger.

There is no shortage of gurus telling you: how to make a million dollars in ten minutes doing nothing, and an equally jaded community of those who have tried, and not succeeded, in following their instructions. But undaunted, they complain and move on to the next one.

There is also another group of side hustlers, as they have come to be known – teachers, nurses, mechanics, technicians, everyone and anyone – who spend their evenings and weekends, teaching art, coding, or reviewing products, for strangers who are waiting to hear from them.

Each hustler is caught up in their own dream…the opportunity at lifestyle freedom. Even though every successful entrepreneur will tell you there is no freedom in being responsible for a business enterprise, and all that could go wrong – the dreamers cling to the idea that on the other side of being your own boss is having your own bounty, and with it, all the choices that will lead to your happiness.

Entrepreneurship is considered the road to that freedom. And with the advent of the Internet, the road has become an increasingly more crowded, no guardrail freeway.

The Support of Technology

Technology and connectivity have given almost everyone the opportunity to start a business from their smartphone, earn income from their thoughts and photos, and build private communities of thousands of followers who are willing buyers of products and services aimed at crushing their own most pressing problems.

Every day thousands of people all over the world pour online to deliver value to the millions who are asking questions, and looking for answers in social media, search and stores. 

Many aspiring entrepreneurs will give up on their quest, but those who don’t will eventually succeed at something – likely not the idea they started with – but something will start making them money online.

Then they will have their own story to tell about ‘making a million dollars in ten minutes doing nothing,’ and the cycle will begin again.

The Unhappy Economy

For those who walked away from entrepreneurship, there will remain a brutally intense pull that forces them to reconcile with their decision every day.

You can’t win, if you don’t play. And you’ll never get out of a job you don’t like, if you don’t make a move to leave.

But to leave…you’re going to need financial support.

The opportunity to have a successful comfortable life comes at a cost. And you won’t be able to pay it, if you don’t have the money.  And maybe you’ll get part of the money from your 9-to-5 job, but where will you get the bump you need to really start enjoying yourself?

At the moment, you live in an unhappy economy.  People have jobs and money, but it’s not enough to get over the hurdles to true contentment.

The Other Side-Effect of the Pandemic

During the pandemic, this gap was made glaringly real. Some people actually enjoyed lockdown. They live in beautiful homes full of all the amenities, every household member had a comfortable private place to work or study, delivery trucks pulled up all day with their orders, and when they wanted a break, they even went off on vacations and extended stays to Caribbean islands that stayed open.

For many, seeing those people (yes, you can view it all on Instagram) opened up a realization that they did not have the kind of money that would have made for a cozy lockdown. In fact, they had to be afraid for their job, their industry, and the future of their community.

When things began to bounce back, with employment and choices for all, they realized just how unhappy they were in their current situation. And how quickly it could be worse.

The Bounceback Will Not Be Cheap

The fact is, most people are holding on to a precarious wedge of comfort that could crack at any time. You can see this in their general unhappiness with their lot in life.

They simply do not have enough money, to do everything they want to do, for themselves and their family.

And as prices rise, especially for housing, their window to make a change gets narrower and narrower.

Coming soon to a neighborhood near you are house prices that start at a million dollars for what we used to call a bungalow; food prices that demand a premium to be considered healthy; travel prices starting with gasoline that reflect the need to keep moving; clothing, entertainment and dining out – the malls – building their comeback on healthy price jumps; and healthcare, education and retirement living, directly tying quality and safety to upper echelon prices.

The average person is going to realize that to have a full life with all the amenities, they will have to have more money…a lot more.

Getting an extra job is an option, there are plenty around, but that’s time spent commuting and networking that they won’t get back.

The other option, one that screams out from the Internet is to start something online.

The Online Options

How do people make money online:

  • Sell a product
  • Sell a service
  • Sell ads on a website
  • Sell ads on a podcast
  • Sell ads on videos
  • Get paid by sponsors
  • Sell someone else’s product or service

The mechanics are straightforward: Get your product or service in front of the right audience, and convince them you have what they need.

But the results vary widely.

Success has but one common attribute…the entrepreneur is delivering value to those who want or need it.  The value can be anything from cat videos to coding instructions, but the key is it’s valuable to someone. 

And the more people who receive it, the more money the entrepreneur makes.

To become an online entrepreneur, you must understand the problems people want solved, and solve them.

Identify Problems to Solve

For an aspiring entrepreneur, the best outcome for a business idea happens when the target customer’s problem aligns with one the entrepreneur has already solved, usually for themselves, and are ready to help instruct others on how to do it. 

But you can also earn online income by having an interest in an area where others need the information, and have no time to get it. If you are willing to put in the time, and do the work, you are one step ahead of the members of your eventual paying community.

You can also be a middle-person between someone who has already solved the problem, and people you know want to find out about it. For example, there are plenty of travel sites offering guidance to destinations all over the world, and they have ads on their pages, probably making some money just for giving their opinions.

More robust offerings may go deep into a subject like dieting or healthcare, and amass a following by providing practical advice that cannot be found elsewhere.

And others still simply test and promote products, but do it with a commitment to content – posting text, images and videos every day, sometimes multiple times a day, to a growing audience that comes to rely on their advice.

You don’t have to invent the product yourself, there are plenty of sellers looking for affiliates.  But you do have to be in the position where the ‘eyeballs’ fall, and either be selling the product directly from that point, or benefiting from advertisers who want to get to the audience you build by providing great content.

If you are looking at online business, you can be any one of these people. Start where you have an ‘in’ and can get some money flowing immediately and build from there. In Napoleon Hill’s great classic, Think and Grow Rich, he counseled readers to find personal services people need, that’s one thing people will always pay for.

Start somewhere…

Look at Google and Amazon search trends. People are literally making requests all day long, looking for information, products and services to fulfill a need.

Ask around.  Look around. The possibilities are endless.

The idea that ‘everything has been done’ is over-ridden every day by the fact that new businesses are always succeeding, and new ideas emerge every minute.

Why You Need Two-Incomes

The impact of the pandemic has already started. With millions of women staying out of the workforce to care for children, or elderly, there is a need for every person to earn more. 

And an online business provides the perfect opportunity.

Plus, once you know what to do in the online arena where you choose to play, you can do it over and over again.

Your other consideration is simply the cost-of-living.  After the housing crash in 2008, the prediction was people would not risk their income on sprawling homes in the suburbs again, but instead would revitalize the less expensive inner city.  And for a minute that was true.

The 21st Century List of Costs

But now after the pandemic, it’s back to the suburbs…and even further. If you no longer have to commute, you want to be in the most comfortable space, and apparently that means, far away from everyone else.

Demand will drive rising home prices, and the amount someone has to pay will increase, or they will not find a place. That will be the reality.

You’ll want to upgrade your car to electric, upsource your food to local and home-grown, change your child’s schooling to private tutors, and have personalized medical care.

And after seeing the suffering of retirees in group homes during the pandemic, another wave of concern swept those who will not have enough to live safely on their own as they age. Up goes the price of elder care, and the demand of those who want it to be safe, comfortable and healthy.

When you go to travel, you’ll be competing with the new wealthy and rising middle class of countries from Estonia to Chile to Tanzania and back again. Everyone wants to see the Mona Lisa, and you will have to get in line. And let’s not forget the places that are threatening to close to idle travelers, you’ll need more money to see Venice, Machu Pichu or the islands of Belize.

Every aspect of the American Dream has already begun to fade away. 

Rethink How to Get Your American Dream

The picket fence house in the suburbs…unaffordable…

College…unaffordable without debt…

Solid wage job with benefits…maybe independent contractor on your own…

Retirement…a stressful strain without a cushion.

Yet, the last clinging hope remains to the ideal of a middle class, where tens of millions live a comfortable life.

But the definition of ‘comfortable’ will be changed to mean ‘managed’ as a certain taxpayer-assisted core of the workforce gets by on subsidies and credits designed to keep them afloat.

Another core will accelerate forward to adventures unknown, properties unseen, and generational wealth everlasting.

The ‘middle’ will only remain independent, self-sufficient and comfortable, if each individual generates two incomes – typically one from the public workspace and the other from an online venture – and continues to do so throughout their working lives.

Decide On Your Next Action

Turn now to develop your second income stream from an online platform, or hope against hope that the swarming tide does not catch you going the wrong way.

The window to benefit from the available technology tools and open global marketplace is right now. And the need to begin the process is acute.

The two-income individual will be a fact of life, not a burden, but an opportunity to ensure that you are on the wealth side of the income gap, and benefiting not only from the revenue you are earning, but the value you are delivering to those who were just waiting for you to put your talent to work to help them.

Disclosure: Links to books and products are affiliate links that earn for eligible purchases at no additional cost to you.

Wantrepreneurs Top 5 Excuses and How to Defeat Them

Wantrepreneurs are always wanting because by definition, they are thinking and dreaming about becoming an entrepreneur, but not taking the necessary actions to move forward.

That’s where the ‘want’ comes from, and where it stays.

The challenge for an aspiring entrepreneur is to recognize this conflict, and defeat it!

Forever Wanting to be An Entrepreneur? Maybe because of one of the excuses (Image by StockSnap from Pixabay)

The Excuses

The top 5 excuses Wantrepreneurs make for not starting an online business are a mixture of internal and external environmental conflicts.

1. Time

Wantrepreneurs say: I don’t have enough time to work on my business…

Lack of time is one of the top excuses wantrepreneurs make for not getting started. But in a world where everyone has access to multiple time saving devices, the excuse falls flat. There are many ways to gain more time in today’s world. From learning how to use schedulers, to outsourcing simple tasks, productive people have expanded the amount of time they use, not shortened it.

This excuse only needs 15 minutes a day to conquer. You can get up earlier, go to bed later, turn off streaming videos, put away the games, and start working on your business. You will quickly find that the more time you put in to work, the more time you will be motivated to find.

2. Money

Wantrepreneurs say: I don’t have enough money to start a business…

When a wantrepreneur says they have never started a business because of a lack of money, my first question is…how much money do you need?

No one is able to answer this question.

Not having enough money to get started is a myth, built over years by people who do not know the stories of entrepreneurs, and just assume…after they see them with money that they must have had money to start. But that’s rarely true.

Entrepreneurs are resourceful. If they don’t have money, they identify where they money will come from, or create the circumstances that generate money. For example, instead of assuming they are building a grand enterprise from day one, they start small and deliver a product that does not cost a lot to start. And then they build their enterprise later.

Decide on how much money you want, then you will find what you need to get started.

3. Connections

Wantrepreneurs say: I don’t have the connections all those other people must have…

Just like with the issue of money, wantrepreneurs see a successful entrepreneur with an impressive network and assume it always had to be that way.

But in fact, many entrepreneurs are isolated and alone. Their quest to start a business shuts them off from their network, because typically friends and family are content to go along with the status quo, and do not understand the entrepreneurial process. Many think it’s too risky, and not worth the stress and responsibility

If you don’t think you have the ‘right’ network, you’re going to have to create it. Find out who might be an entrepreneur you can connect with, and ask them for a sit-down. Prepare your questions, think of genuine questions you want answered about the entrepreneurial journey.

If you don’t know anyone, read books about entrepreneurs and how they got started, watch videos, listen to their podcast interviews, and see what they say on social media. You can spend all your time with the network of your choice by choosing to be with them, and not with those who are not the pursuing the future you want to have.

4. Business Idea

Wantrepreneurs say: I’m not sure about my idea, everyone with laugh at me…

Everyone laughed at pretty much every world changing entrepreneur you can think of. It has been the challenge for entrepreneurs to stay committed to their plans in the face of a backlash. And usually that commitment comes from knowing that they’re right.

An entrepreneur sees an opportunity in the global marketplace…that’s the beginning. But unlike most people who may talk about an idea, the entrepreneur actually allocates their own resources – time and money – to trying to make the idea work.

People may laugh but they do not see what you see. So the best way to conquer this excuse is to actually bring your idea forward into the light, and let the opportunity speak for itself

5. Getting Started

Wantrepreneurs say: I don’t know how to get started…

The best way to get started is just to start. Yes, that might sound trite, but it’s true. Take 15 minutes today and research your business idea. Look up: How to start a [add your business here] online business, and take notes on the information you find.

Congratulations! You have started your business. If you keep spending time every day, 10 to 15 minutes, you will soon find that the momentum of having that daily routine makes you want to spend more time. As you learn more about how you could implement your business idea, you will become more confident.

If you want an action-by-action guide to getting started, check out my book Recast: The Aspiring Entrepreneur’s Practical Guide to Getting Started With An Online Business. You can learn exactly how to set the foundation for moving forward. The information may surprise you.

Understand Your Fear

For the most, your wantrepreneur excuses for not getting started with your online business are just saying you fear the unknown, and lack the confidence to try something new. Perhaps you don’t know how to be successful, because you don’t know what to do.

But the fact is, if you want any chance at all of having your business, you must do something. you know the outcome of doing nothing…is nothing, so by doing something you at least give yourself a 50/50 chance to have everything you want.

But if you don’t get started, you will never know if you could get there.

Learn How to Move Forward

If your online business idea has a strong why – you are more likely to remain committed and interested in making sure it’s a successful enterprise. Decide which factors are driving your interest in your business, and focus on those ideas whenever you think about moving on.

Getting your online business idea to work is a long game. You need persistence and the willingness to absorb the unsuccessful starts as learning experiences so that you can build on them and keep going.

Remember you are creating your business to deliver value, to fill a gap you see, or to make sure people have what they need. Set a plan and execute on the plan.…that’s how anything gets done.

Give yourself a chance

Summary

The Top 5 Excuses Wantrepreneurs Make to Stay Forever Wanting to Become entrepreneurs are:

  • I don’t have enough time to work on my business…
  • I don’t have enough money to start a business…
  • I don’t have the connections all those other people must have…
  • I’m not sure about my idea, everyone with laugh at me…
  • I don’t know how to get started…

And How to Defeat Them

  • Read Recast for the first ten actions to take, and personal development books for your mindset
  • Focus on your Why…what is driving you to create a business
  • Consider the value you will be delivering
  • Set a plan for your life…execute on the plan…that’s how anything gets done
  • Give yourself a chance

DISCLOSURE: Links to ebooks and physical products are Amazon affiliate links that earn for eligible purchases at no additional cost to you.

On a recent Russell Brunson webinar, I started reading the chat.  I would not normally do this, but Russell, the Co-Founder of ClickFunnels, was telling a story I had already heard, and the chat was going ballistic about it.

Essentially, many of those who chose to chat were complaining (or spamming) instead of listening.   In a world where they are attending webinars, apparently because they are desperate to learn how to generate leads, they were complaining about the teaching approach from a man generating a $100 million dollars a year and counting…up!

This was teaching being offered for free to help aspiring entrepreneurs get where they want to go.

The Zoom call was left open after the presentation and I was able to read the entire chat feed. I had never seen this type of negative commentary on a webinar before, and I was stunned.

What’s happening to everyone?

Is Entrepreneurship Exclusive…?

Entrepreneurship is the critical engine needed for our progress and prosperity.  Entrepreneurs are people who solve problems and deliver solutions.  

But for the first time, I noticed that a segment of those who are interested enough in starting a business to sign up for a webinar on how to generate leads, appear to be no longer patient enough to grasp the information they need to be successful.

Yet they fail to recognize the irony.

They are the ones who are broke, hate their jobs, and stuck in a pattern of life they cannot stand.  They are the ones who want out. 

Yet they also apparently want the path to be cleared for them, decorated as they see fit, and playing their music.

Our society is in for a world of hurt if the people who want to be entrepreneurs no longer have the drive, perseverance, courage, and commitment necessary to make business work in the 21st century.

If they too are looking for a shortcut.

I would hate to think we are stuck with the companies, organizations and ideas, we have now because the likes of future Russell Brunsons no longer know how to listen.

In fact, if that’s what’s happening…that attention spans have really dropped to zero…then we are doomed.

…Or is Being an Entrepreneur Critical?

While many people may be angry about 2020 and the disruption to their plans, others assessed the situation and thrived.  And many of those people who were able to make the most of a pandemic year are online entrepreneurs.

The pandemic actually allowed the already growing force of technology and access to the global market to become ‘normal,’ and solidified a future economy based on Internet practices. 

Whether that terrifies or excites people is not the point, it has happened, and it’s here to stay.

For anyone…literally anyone…who has ever thought about getting a business started, you are living in the best time in history to jump right in.

The Internet is young enough that it can still be molded and shaped by individual actions; but it’s old enough to have an endless stack of free resources that allow you to learn anything you need to know about how to get started.

When I first started in the game just four years ago, I had no idea how to move forward. 

Now an aspiring entrepreneur has no excuse.

Fear, Excuse or Something Else?

Except for the ones so often used…to avoid actually doing the work.

That excuse is typically coated in sympathy expected language like: ‘I don’t have enough time,’ or ‘I don’t have enough money’ or ‘I don’t understand technology’ or ‘I don’t want to be a sleazy salesman’ or ‘There’s too much competition,’ or ‘Everything’s already been done.’

To be fair, one of the challenges for aspiring entrepreneurs is that too many people, including the famous gurus, often claim the path is ‘easy’ especially if you buy their course and do exactly what they do.

The problem is no one can do exactly what they did. The technical or foundational work may be the same, but there is always something else – especially when it comes to the actual business idea.

An aspiring entrepreneur needs to adapt their idea to the current environment. And when the adaptation does not work, they have to try again some other way, and again, and again, and again, and again…and that takes work. That’s the part so many people miss, and few ever talk about.

With millions posting images every day of an Instagram lifestyle of luxury and comfort generated by online riches, many aspiring entrepreneurs want to jump straight in to that scene, and fail to acknowledge the part about actually creating a business.

Even if the business is taking beautiful pictures of yourself and consistently posting them on Instagram…that’s still more work than the typical person who is trying to decide what to watch next on Netflix.

But if you are looking at that lifestyle, and you have business ideas in your head, or you have always wanted to be an entrepreneur, you have to make a move forward.

Just coveting the lifestyle without actually doing the work will not help you achieve success.

Decide to Be Successful

I can already guess that the process Russell teaches in his webinar challenge will work.  I create and buy from sales funnels all the time. 

But if you don’t know anything about the process, and you sign up for the webinar, you should listen and learn.

If you are an aspiring entrepreneur because you want the professional satisfaction, financial security and lifestyle freedom that comes with being you own boss then, guess what…the only way you are going to be successful is to do the work.

Doing the work is the only common denominator among the world’s successful entrepreneurs. 

Nothing else matters.  Not background, circumstances, gender, ethnicity, location, education, experience…nothing.  All they have in common is that they did the work.

They learned what needed to be done…often from those who have done it before, and applied those learnings to their own ideas and situation.  That’s the path.  It has not changed.

Aspiring entrepreneurs who do not want to listen, and do not want to do the work will not be successful.  The word ‘aspiring’ will never fall off their bio page.  And their lot in life will not change.

The only way to reverse this inevitability is to actually pay attention, model and refine what works, adapt your idea to your audience and situation, and get the job done.

If you are ready to move forward, join our Dominate 2021 Mastermind group for FREE and get your online business started in 90 days! Starts January 16, 2021, register here: http://dominatetheyear.com/

If you are trying to get organized to become an online entrepreneur, read Recast: The Aspiring Entrepreneur’s Practical Guide to Getting Started With An Online Business. Click here to download at Amazon.com.

Links to the 5 Day Lead Challenge, ClickFunnels and Amazon.com are affiliate links. I earn for eligible purchases at no additional cost to you.

Why You Should Not Give Up

After several months, 12 to 14 hour days, courses, webinars, lectures, gurus, online forums, Facebook groups, so much advice, so many ideas, so much noise, and so much money spent…

Are you still not even close to where you want to be with your business?

Maybe even a creeping sensation is starting to set in.  You know the one that says maybe you should go get a ‘real’ job, or maybe everyone was right and this business thing is not for you, or maybe you’re doing it all wrong and you’re just not cut out for this life.

All those comments can become louder and louder as each day goes by and you are not one step closer.  So do you keep going through the negative wall you’ve built for yourself…or give up and take the easy road?

Is Entrepreneurship Really for Everyone?

You are bound to hear people say that entrepreneurship is not for everyone.  And that’s true.  Sky-diving is not for everyone either.  Neither is cooking or data analysis. 

Is this for everyone?
Image by antoine carrion from Pixabay

Yet somehow when people tell an aspiring entrepreneur that entrepreneurship is not for everyone, the comment comes with an…I told you so…overtone.

When you are about to quit accounting or nursing or teaching, you might still get at least one person telling you to not be crazy, and give up your ‘good’ job, but you’re probably not going to get the same kind of superiority mandate that comes with proclaiming entrepreneurship is not for everyone.

In fact, .entrepreneurship is for anyone who has business ideas in their head, wants to be an entrepreneur, and is willing to work until the business meets your definition of success.

This could mean you try 127 different business idea. But as long as you keep trying…and you can feel the thrill in the effort…you are on the right path to becoming an entrepreneur.

How The Great Showman Did It

Recently I was reading the recollections of P.T. Barnum, the great showman.  The book came out in 1872, so there’s no political correctness if that sort of thing bugs you – and if not, you can click this link to download a copy of the book for free (the book downloads automatically, there is no separate login).

Barnum was a regular farm boy, did chores, and then worked in the corner store as a stock boy.  But over the years while he was working for others, He was hoping to do something on his own.

When someone brought him a ‘curiosity’ to exhibit, he jumped at the chance.  This ‘curiosity’ was a human being, so we won’t jump on the merits of selling staring access to people with no televisions and no smartphones – we will only look at how he made the decision that eventually led to his entrepreneurial career.

Many people, given the opportunity to exhibit a curiosity would just say ‘no.’  Not for political correctness reasons, but because they’d have no idea what to do.

Barnum had no idea either.  He had never done a show before.  But he knew he wanted his own business.  His mind was already tuned to watch out for an idea that might become a business.  So when the idea was presented, he grabbed it.

If you had met him working behind the counter of the corner grocery store, would you have guessed he was going to become a world-famous millionaire showman?  Probably not.

When you see yourself, and wonder what you’re capable of, do you guess who you could be?

You don’t have to end up as a world famous showman, but if you have business ideas in your head, and you are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur then at the very least, you want to give yourself a chance to end up somewhere in the realm of your own ideas.

How Will You Do It

If you tell yourself upfront that you know getting your own business up and running is going to take time; and you know there could be many mistakes; and some things will not work out; and you have to try multiple iterations of your idea to get to the one that can be a viable business…then you should not be too surprised when these obstacles arise.

In fact, you should take each one as a learning experience, build on it, and push forward with the next idea.  You don’t get much traction in complaining that your business is not working, or you have no idea if you’re going to make it.

But you get a lot out of working every day to learn 1% more, and to gain a 1% higher return.  The real value of the experience is never lost as long as you keep going to build your business.

In my new book Recast: The Aspiring Entrepreneur’s Practical Guide to Getting Started with an Online Business, I talk about beginning the entire process by taking a deep breath – and by that I mean, assessing your mental and physical stamina for moving forward.

If you have never done any personal development work around building your success consciousness, and affirming yourself and your goals – this may be the time to get started.  These practices help you keep the down parts of the ups and downs of entrepreneurship in perspective – and give you the confidence and perseverance to move forward.  

This new era of life – beyond the pandemic – to just the transition to the global high tech world has given you the opening to have the life you want through entrepreneurship. 

But you have to get started…and keep going…to make it work

The number one reason is…

  • If you have business ideas in your head, and
  • You want to be an entrepreneur, and
  • You’re willing to do the work…

…You’re about 3/4 of the way there, so keep going…

Summary

  • You will have ups and downs trying something new, learning, and making your mark in a new field.
  • But your vision for the business you want to create, the solution you want to deliver, and the life you really want will keep you going
  • Your desire to be an entrepreneur will be the fuel that keeps you going, because  – like P.T. Barnum – you will always be on the look out for an opportunity…
  • You just have to know it when you see it, and move forward as soon as you can

Free Copy of the Recast 30 Day Actions Plan

To download your free copy of the Recast 30 Day Actions Plan

CLICK THIS LINK

DISCLOSURE: Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links that earn for eligible purchases at no additional cost to you.

by Case Lane

In the delightful comedy W1A about management life at the BBC, one of the characters has the useless corporate title, Director of Better.

No one, least of all the holder of the title, knows exactly what the title means nor what the role is supposed to do.  The show is a continuous standup play on the triumph of bureaucracy in maintaining employment for well-meaning, educated professionals who essentially do…nothing.

But as uncomfortably true as the antics may be, the laughs will not last.

Even before a global pandemic, those who keep an eye on the economy were already documenting how technology and access to the global market were changing the future of work, and the expectations of society.

The value of every mythological line in the American dream was under scrutiny, and lifelong ideas about the ‘right’ thing to do with one’s life were being unmercifully contested.

In the midst of this, the often questionable journey for the entrepreneur continued to expand online, and created not only a new category of businesses, but an entirely renewed way to view the entire profession.

No longer the dominant road only for status-quo-defying risk-takers, online entrepreneurship opened up to anyone who was willing to do the work, to transform their speculative idea into a product or service for the global marketplace.

The result has been an up-leveled opportunity for anyone to take their place in the global economy through electronic means.  This realization changes the game for all those who thought there was no room for them on the Internet money train.

For these reasons you should become an online entrepreneur:

  1. The Need for Solutions
  2. The Opportunity to Deliver Value
  3. You Can Have Any Idea
  4. You Can Operate in Any Niche
  5. You Do Not Have to Be an Expert
  6. You Do Have to Do the Work
  7. The Reality May Not Meet Your Expectations
  8. There is Money to Be Made
  9. There Are People Making Money

The Need

Surfing the Internet is another way to say searching the Internet.  People are online looking for…everything…to satisfy their desires across a range of wants related to the most demanded, and most obscure, human needs.

This endless searching has allowed the major internet companies to gather data on consumer desires.  And this data is for sale.

While business people have always attempted to ‘know their customer,’ now they can extract that information based on the customer’s own requests demonstrated by their typing, clicking, searching, reading, listening and viewing all day.

This demand-driven activity has not stopped entrepreneurs from considering the innovations people did not think to ask for.  But they can just as easily assess demand by creating introductory products, service instructions, or even spin-offs of existing products or services for those who can never find exactly what they seem to want. 

In fact, the online entrepreneur does not have to create anything new at all.  A promotional video, deftly worded advertisement, or ten minute podcast generates enough data to understand consumer demand for a directed product or service designed to meet the expected need.

And the bottom line is…there is an endless stream of unmet needs across all consumer demographics all over the world. 

The Opportunity

Anyone watching internet surfers continuously looking to be fulfilled, can see an opening that presents an opportunity to deliver a product or service to these desperate consumers.

An aspiring entrepreneur can target potential customers through the search engines like Google, social media platforms like Facebook, or their own proprietary e-mail lists, with advertisements, promotions, stories, images, audio and videos designed to encourage a connection.

Any Idea

A person who recognizes gaps in the economy…and fills it…is the entrepreneur.  And more often than not the gap is related to an unserved demographic frustrated with never finding products or services that are aimed at them.

The ability to deliver products or services to this specific niche is the cornerstone of the online entrepreneurship opportunity.

The ‘mass’ market is on the decline.  Consumers are searching for products or services designed specifically for their exact desires.  They want a business that hears their voice, and meets their needs.  And the intrepid entrepreneur is often one of the potential customers who has grown tired of waiting for someone else to invent the product or service they keep searching for. 

All Niches

Decades of marketing practices aimed at the ‘mass’ market has left a wide-open field for entrepreneurs who are willing to deliver for those who do not currently receive.

An aspiring entrepreneur can immediately be the automatic leader in their field by delivering a product or service from their unique perspective, and using their singular approach. 

The nutrition, diet and fitness market presents the typical example of how this works.  Until everyone on earth finds a food plan they enjoy, and a health routine they can maintain, for the ideal look they aspire to…there is an opportunity for an entrepreneur to deliver a new nutrition, diet or fitness product.

The entrepreneur only needs to determine how best to deliver the product or service to those potential customers who will become their pampered community.

Not the Talent

For any idea the entrepreneur wants to develop there is an opportunity to approach almost anyone in the world who may be interested.  In the most successful scenarios, the entrepreneur builds a community around their product or service, and continues to nurture and cultivate their fans.

But the entrepreneur has to first find these fans, ideally, through the online platform where they are most comfortable.

If you prefer writing, you can become a blogger, and seek to attract your audience by delivering value in the form of interesting articles.

If you prefer to talk, you can start a podcast and organize your value in a discussion or interview, which showcases the product or service you want to deliver.

Similar options exist for using images or being on video.

And if you do not like any of those options, and you just want to be an executive or manager, you can outsource the work to a content creation team based anywhere in the world.

Not an expert

Online entrepreneurs are creators, writers, instructors, influencers, marketers, store owners, coaches, consultants, developers, artists, speakers, photographers, organizers, and some…are experts in a particular field.

As noted in the next paragraph, to be successful, the only expertise one needs is the amount that is generated relative to the work the entrepreneur is willing to do.

The online entrepreneurship field is one devoid of formal credentials.  The magic is in understanding the target consumers’ needs and, literally, speaking their language, then working persistently to deliver such sufficient value that these dream customers tell all their friends.

The Work

To create an online business, the aspiring entrepreneur picks an idea, a niche and a platform, and then delivers lasting value.  The challenge is…how?

The number of entrepreneurs who have created one product, and took it to immediate success in the market without any changes is probably zero.  By default, the entrepreneur must be prepared to adapt and change to consumer demand.  The ‘big’ idea typically needs to be refined and molded until consumers respond.

The same is true for the distribution or marketing.  A great idea poorly delivered will not find its intended base.

A good product poorly marketed will not find its audience.

A typical entrepreneur is likely to try dozens, perhaps hundreds, of iterations changing one segment after another of the product or service to find the ‘hit’ lurking just over the horizon.

This is where the statistics about entrepreneurship success and failure begin to play out.  Those that actually make it are the ones who have the resources to keep trying until one version of their idea survives.

Those who can no longer hang on…fall by the wayside.

The Reality

Entrepreneurship is no walk in the park.  Not because the work is particularly difficult, not because the potential consumers are missing, not because the idea is bad…but because the aspiring entrepreneur has no idea what is going to work.

The online entrepreneur has to be prepared to try and try again.  From changing a headline on a landing page, to adding just one more email, to responding to every comment on social, to posting a question they never thought to ask before…the key to the game is perseverance.

Many successful entrepreneurs will tell you about the ideas that flopped.  But each one led the entrepreneur to try something new, to watch for any signs from the market that the idea was resonating, and to scale rapidly when the most recent fix appeared to be a hit.

The question is: will you be successful before your energy or money runs out?

For those who keep their 9-to-5 while working on their side hustle, the question becomes: will you be successful before you really can’t stand your regular job anymore?

Either way, the only successful players are the ones who are persistent, and do not give up.

The Monetization

Where does online money come from…here’s a short list:

  • Advertising and affiliate links on websites
  • Private Coaching
  • Private Consulting
  • Advertising and sponsorships on podcasts and videos
  • Direct digital product sales of books, videos, audio, courses and software
  • Percentage of affiliate sales from joint ventures selling other people’s products
  • Speaker fees
  • Physical product sales of t-shirts, coffee mugs, pens, books and more
  • Masterminds and conferences

How is the money made from these products?

By marketing to potential customers, and convincing them that the product or service you have to offer, in the form you offer it, will meet their needs.

This is the part where many aspiring entrepreneurs fall short.  After locating a potential customer base, and confirming they are searching for the product or service you have to offer, you still have to be able to close the sale.

You have to get them to buy.

So aspiring entrepreneurs must create an incentive for potential customers to look at what they have to offer, make a purchase, spread the word, and come back for more.

The options for encouraging this path are as equally endless as the money spigots…

  • Build a social media following by consistently posting online
  • Start a blog, podcast or YouTube channel full of interesting content
  • Create a website loaded with compelling content, and allow ads and affiliate banners
  • Align with existing entrepreneurs in a joint venture (if you have something to offer them)
  • Write and promote a book, course or app
  • Create and promote other digital products
  • Apply as a paid speaker, after volunteering to speak for free and building a reputation
  • Set-up an online store and use social media to promote the products
  • Tell everyone who will listen what you are doing, and convince them, even if they’re not interested, to tell others…

The Survivors

The Internet is littered with millionaires who are not afraid to tell you about their success.  Many webinars begin before breathing to recount the host’s great successes from zero-to-million-dollar paydays, to zero to million follower social feeds, to total domination by learning the ‘one true way’ to do…whatever they purport to do.

They can deliver dozens of testimonials, endless words of public praise, and smiling and delighted successes at every turn.  The presentations are slick, beautiful, and hyped for mind-control returns.

These are the successes.

The people behind these numbers are often exactly who they say they are, whether or not the ‘one true method’ they teach is repeatable and can work for others.  And any way you slice their story – they have managed to at least get to the point where they can display a life of bling, and get you to listen to them talk about it.

Something went right.

In many cases, the successes did one thing legitimately and consistently correct…they did the work.

They posted every day, talked to everyone they knew, pushed through imposter syndrome, overcame fears, chanted affirmations, read every book, took every course, and continuously applied their learnings until their message clicked.

Keeping in mind all of the above, the aspiring entrepreneur can select any one of those models to emulate, or try to forge a new road.  Either way, the fundamentals will not change.

If you have an idea that fills a gap, delivering a product or service to a niche consumer base that wants or needs what you have to offer; through an approach they can find; and you are willing to keep working until your dream customers find you and respond…you will have your business. 

You just have to get started.

Case Lane’s latest book Recast: The Aspiring Entrepreneur’s Practical Guide to Getting Started with an Online Business is available now at Amazon.com

The book details the first ten actions to take when getting started online.

Disclosure: Links. to Amazon.com are affiliate links which earn for eligible purchases at no additional cost to you.

How to Get Out of Your Corporate Mindset When Starting Your Own Business

by Case Lane

Many corporate management-level employees are often hired ‘at will,’ meaning the employee can be let go for any legal reason, and an employee can also leave for any reason – and neither side incurs legal liability.

Yet despite those facts, society insists on referring to those jobs as ‘secure.’ 

When aspiring entrepreneurs talk about leaving a company job to start a business, they are often admonished to stay in their ‘secure’ job.

Security has come to mean – a place to go every day, a regular paycheck, maybe benefits like subsidized health care, insurance, matching 401(k) funds, and if you work at a Hollywood studio – a free movie every week!

But for many, the ‘security’ comes with a nagging sensation that you are not as secure as you think.  When an aspiring entrepreneur walks away, the sensation does not disappear, it remains as a lingering tug determined to pull you back.

The Trappings of Corporate

Back at corporate some time ago, there was this executive, let’s say X, who was upset one day after lunch.  X had lunch with Y, and Y had paid with the platinum corporate American Express card.  A fact that moved X almost to tears.

Confused?

At this company, the platinum corporate card meant Y had been promoted. Regular management level people had the green corporate American Express card.  But the platinum card told X louder than a press release, that Y had been given the recognition demonstrated by the card.

X could not have an intelligent adult discussion about the vagaries of the promotion system, or what was on the lunch menu, because X’s self-esteem and worth were tied to the color of the corporate card.

When you make the decision to walk away, you are not only leaving a job, but also all the Trappings, with a capital ‘T’ that the corporate life provide. Whether you have them now, or can expect to be rewarded in a couple of years, those perks are enticing.

And the best way to get rid of the ideas from your head is to replace them.

Assess What You’re Losing

This may sound counter-intuitive if you are looking for encouragement to quit your 9-to-5, but you have to understand the perks you are giving up by analyzing everything you are about to lose.

Money

The number one benefit is a steady paycheck. Your first hint of panic will come when you realize the money is no longer going to come in from that reliable source.

If you started your business before leaving your job, and already have your second income, you can make this transition easier. You at least have an understanding about what you can expect.

But if you can’t stand your job, and just walked away, then the one thing you have to focus on is replacing your income.  Use the need to replace that income as the motivating factor when working on your business.

You may have other financial benefits to replace including health insurance or disability.  Over time, you will want to use your new income to cover these potential losses also.

And as for the corporate card, Amex has plenty of business cards you can apply for.

Workspace

Your workspace is about to change.  If you had a great office with a view, you may be missing that immediately.  In my new book Recast, I write about how setting up your new place to work is one of the foundational steps for getting started with an online business.

You become your own HR, and re-establish a comfortable workspace for yourself.  You might not get the view.  But you should get the advantage of being where you want to be.

Socializing

Outside of the office there will be no more idle conversations, water-cooler talk, and busy time.  As an entrepreneur with your own business, you will be continuously busy, especially in the beginning, and should have little time to miss the easy days of having an office job.

But the other side of office life – exchanging ideas, having meetings, meeting new interesting people – this might be difficult to adjust to.  You have to prepare yourself for a life of isolation, solitary decisions and meetings of one.

You can get around these feelings by seeking those who are like-minded to form masterminds, or other groups who may be interested in doing what you’re doing.  Try and find an accountability partner who can help you stay on track and focused on your Action Plan. 

The key in the entire process is you have to replace the parts of corporate life you like the most with similar support in the online business world.  Over time, as you focus more on your business, you will find the memories of your former life fade fast, and your new one becomes more omnipresent and relevant in your every day.

Summary: How to Get Rid of Your Corporate Mindset

You have to slowly replace the Trappings of corporate life with your solopreneur alternatives:

  • Salary and other financial benefits come from continuously focusing on the work required to replace the money as soon as possible
  • Your comfortable workspace can be established wherever you decide to work
  • You can be happy to be rid of idle office time, but desperate to reconnect with people – do that by joining group masterminds or finding accountability partner

You get corporate out of your head by creating a new focus – the value you want to deliver – the product or service that your soon-to-be-discovered community wants or needs. 

And once you have changed your focus, you are well on your way to being a recast entrepreneur for the long-term

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