I Dream Of Espresso Machines – My Path To Success Via An Online Business

At the age of 22, I realized that creating a new method of financial planning would help to support my forthcoming family, assist us in becoming home-owners and additionally provide me with the ability to spend abundant time with my future children. So, for the past two years, creating a stream of passive income that we could live off comfortably became my main priority. And after thoroughly researching the best ways to accomplish each of these goals, I set my sites on starting an online business with my life partner. Our mutual enthusiasm for espresso machines would lead us to develop an online business based upon that common passion. And it would eventually substitute my previous, external employment income, ultimately allowing me to work from home – or anywhere else on the planet for that matter. Now at 24 years old, I am well on my way to fully replacing that outside income.

I’ve decided to share my story as a means of offering assistance to anyone else that may be considering traveling down the online business path. Along with tips on how to overcome any obstacles you may encounter, I hope my experience will help guide you to a new source of success and financial stability.

Get a Mentor

Like many before us, we quickly realized that the first order of business was going to be addressing the dilemma of – ‘Where do we start?’ And the answer became clear very early on - finding a good home-study course with the support of a great mentor was an absolute must. After attaining that necessary background knowledge and support at the initial stages of our venture, guidance led us to choose the business of espresso machines since that is where our passion lay.

Our next step was learning how to start building web pages – from scratch mind you – about espresso machines – everything from coffee centers, stovetop espresso makers (the Italian-based Bialetti espresso stovetop coffee maker is a wonderful choice, by the way) to commercial, automatic and superautomatic coffee espresso machines. Through individual investigation and the expertise and direction of our mentor, we learned not only how to develop and manage our own website, but even how to create lasting relationships with merchants and customers.

After all was said and done – our site development completed – I felt my first affiliate marketing mentor, although incredibly helpful and appreciated, had brought us as far as he could. So, I sought out a new mentor to take us to the next level. Through that additional guidance, we were then taught how to precisely promote, market and brand our espresso machine website and start bringing in a consistent stream of income.

Customize Your Own Schedule – And Stick To It

One of the biggest obstacles we faced was the genuine commitment that is so imperative to working on creating a successful online business. Time and dedication are absolute necessities in accomplishing what needs to be done so I had to come up with a workable plan – deciding when to do what and then actually sticking to and following through on those intentions.

My own personal secret is a magnetic notebook kept on my refrigerator that serves as an ongoing to-do list. That way, any time an idea or task pops into my head, I can quickly jot it down. This method serves two purposes: 1) provides a convenient, at-a-glance reminder; and 2) provides some peace of mind in lieu of trying to remember and keep all of my sporadic thoughts straight.

Then, when it’s time to plan the weekly schedule, I simply sit down with my notebook and choose which tasks I want to accomplish during that week. I subsequently organize the tasks by creating a sort of ‘Action Item List’, assigning a precise day and time-frame to work on each of them. Simply put, it’s an agenda. By implementing a plan of when I will perform each task, it obligates me to actually get them done. And I find that planning my schedule one week ahead works miracles in my life – it gives me the sense that I have extra hours available in my day because now my time is clearly organized and discernable.

Develop a System for Efficiency

Running our online espresso machine business, like any business, includes carrying out some of the same specific tasks over and over again. We have been able to increase efficiency and decrease stress levels by creating a ‘work order’ for each job that needs to be performed on a repeated basis.

For example, every other month, we write an espresso-business-relevant press release that when complete, is distributed electronically. The very first time we did this, we took the time to sit down and develop a fill-in-the-blanks template and checklist which greatly assists us in proof-reading the press release before we submit it. This way, we know it’s right the first time and don’t have to go back and revise any errors later. And so by following this type of systematic practice for all of our repetitive tasks, it becomes a much more effective process for completion – saves us a ton of time (and sweat) as we’re are able to complete each recurring task more accurately and thus, efficiently.

Outsource to Revive Optimism and Relieve Pressure

The feeling of being snowed under came more than once during those first two years of starting our online business and honestly, it’s a regular occurrence even now that we’re established. However, I have learned how to successfully subside that inundated state-of-mind whenever I feel it coming.

The best tip for overcoming the pressure of being overwhelmed came to me from both our mentors – it’s called outsourcing and I utilize this resolution often. For example, while writing an article about proper espresso machine maintenance for my site, I realized I was stuck – writer’s block if you will. But I didn’t waste time getting frustrated, waiting for the creativity to flow. Instead, I chose to simply hire a professional writer to complete the article for me.

Some Final Words of Advice

Now, when it comes to relying on a mentor to teach and guide you, outsourcing or any other methods of assistance you acquire, that does not imply that you shouldn’t work hard – it is hard work that will require your complete dedication and commitment. What I am saying is that you don’t have to waste time and energy on something that someone else will be happy to do for you – with quality results.

And always remember – choose and focus on something that you love. You don’t have to be an expert as your passion for the matter will be your biggest asset.