One of these days…begins a familiar refrain from those who long to be working for themselves.
If you see yourself reflected there, you’re probably already doing something that could be a viable career online.
You just need to make a few moves to turn your 9 to 5 into an eCommerce business.
With a bit of creative thinking, the skills learned at any job can be the seed of a successful eCommerce business venture.
When you peel back all the layers, you’ll find most entrepreneurs share the same traits.
Determination, a degree of calculated fearlessness, self-confidence, innate curiosity, passion for their endeavor, adaptability, money management skills, an outgoing nature and the ability to convey their ideas in a compelling manner.
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You’re Already Running a Business
Here’s the thing a lot of people don’t realize.
It takes some combination of most of the above to do the job they do everyday.
They’re just doing it for other people, so the stakes are slightly lower.
After all, if they have a bad day at work, it might not mean the loss of their livelihood, whereas when you work for yourself, that’s a very real possibility.
But hey, you could lose a job too, so why let that hold you back?
Worst-case scenario, there’s always work at the Post Office.
Seriously though, self-employment can be significantly more rewarding and it’s very possible to turn your job into an ecommerce business while you still go to work every day.
You just have to make sure you don’t do anything that would put you into direct competition with your current company to avoid creating a conflict of interests.
Where to Find Business Ideas
Business ideas are all around you.
When they started out, Walt Disney was just a guy who liked to draw and Debbie Fields was just a woman who liked baking cookies.
In other words, between the skills you employ at your 9 to 5 on a daily basis and the things you enjoy doing in your spare time, you have the genesis of a successful business right in front of you.
Everything you don’t know about how to Turn Your 9 to 5 into an eCommerce Business is readily available online to fill in the gaps.
You’ll find thousands of articles written on the subject of turning a hobby into a business, as well as everything you need to know to successfully run an eCommerce business.
Solid First Steps
To get started, find something you love to do and research ways to make money doing it online.
Study those who have gone before you and copy everything that worked for them.
The digital landscape is solidly in your favor in this regard. Every activity has forums of the faithful; these can be great resources for learning more about your passion, as well as connecting with potential customers.
Just be careful to observe the proper decorum when you’re interacting to stay on the right side of the forum’s rules regarding marketing activities.
The Takeaway
If you’ve successfully held a job, you have what it takes to work for yourself.
To turn your 9 to 5 into an eCommerce business, find an aspect of your job you enjoy that you can do as a business—or find something you like to do on the side that you’d do for free.
Start small and keep your day job for security until you’re forced to choose between running your business and going to work.
Learn from the experiences of others—and don’t be afraid to fail.
Failure is just nature’s way of saying you need to adjust your approach.