Leadership Turn

When I decided four years ago to take creative writing seriously, the first thing I did was study. I couldn’t imagine trying to tackle a new profession without any training. I didn’t take classes, but I did read a staggering number of books of advice on writing that were written by famous authors.

After I finished writing my young adult novel, I began collecting advice from experts on book promotion, even though I didn’t have a publisher. I still don’t. But the novel is in the hands of publishers, so when the time comes when I DO finally land a contract, (you’ll notice I didn’t say IF) I am way ahead of the game.

I am now interested in starting an online business. I am applying the same principles that I did to writing. I want to learn about viral marketing and what makes an online business successful. So I researched until I found who I consider the best mentor, an expert whose success I want to emulate. And though I may never be as successful as Seth Godin, who is listed on 85 pages of Google, by the way, choosing him as a guide will most surely give me a leg up in the world of online business.

Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t just make up my mind out of the blue one day that I was going to be a writer. I had been writing and publishing poetry for years, and had also been told by several multi-published authors that I had talent. My studying wasn’t so much about learning how to write as it was about the mechanics and the rules of writing.

Same thing with an online business. I am not going into it blind, expecting Seth Godin to turn me into an online mogul. I have a background in offline sales and marketing and I was good at it. I figure I’ll be good at online marketing too, once I learn what I feel I need to know.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because I can’t count the number of tragic tales I have read from those who have jumped into a new career without any experience or training, or spent money signing up with a business opportunity just to learn that it was a scam, or those who discovered after the fact that they had no idea how to create business success for themselves.

Don’t allow any of the above scenarios to happen to you. Before you even contemplate signing up with an online business, check them out thoroughly. If you are considering an entrepreneurial career, do your homework. Knowledge is power. Play “Follow the Leader.” Find a mentor, someone you admire who is doing something similar to what you are considering and doing it successfully. Take the time to study their tactics. Don’t rush yourself, learn from them.

My research has prompted me to advise you to choose only one person to emulate if online marketing is what you have in mind. There is just SO much information to take in, and there are many successful online entrepreneurs. Choose the one you feel the most connection with. Doing so will keep you from becoming overwhelmed and experiencing information overload.

If you have ambition, and you take the time to become knowledgeable about the career you are embarking on, the only thing that can stop you from being successful is the limitations you put on yourself.

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