11 essential facts you should know before becoming a digital entrepreneur

Picture this:

You are a digital entrepreneur, with a business of your own, and steadily, you are earning more than you think would be possible. You work with something you are truly passionate about and, little by little, what was just some extra income has turned into your main source.

What do you think about this? I am sure it sounds tempting, to say the least.

This is a very possible scenario, which many people aim to reach. The market of digital products has made many of stories like this one possible, as you can see here and it will continue to change lives, helping people make a living out of their passions.

But let’s think about this for a second: how many people do you know that have really made it in this lifestyle? I will take a guess and say, not many, right?

Having an online business is an incredible opportunity and anyone can join in this promising adventure. But I always say: before achieving success, you need to have a winning mindset and the facts numbered in this post are included in it.

Before achieving success, you need to have a winning mindset.

The objective today is to help you create this mindset and warn you about some of the pitfalls you might come across in this entrepreneurial world. Read on and learn about the 11 essential facts you should know before becoming a digital entrepreneur.

1. Being a digital entrepreneur is not a guarantee of success.

It’s not only because you have made the decision of becoming a digital entrepreneur that success is guaranteed. According to Bloomberg, 8 out of 10 entrepreneurs who start businesses fail within the first 18 months. The path can be more arduous than you think and you will find out why in the next items.

2. “Done is better than perfect.”

Many businesses can’t move forward because the owners want it to be perfect, or use perfection as an excuse to procrastinate. If there is one thing you can learn and use for the rest of your life, it is this: go and do it. If it’s wrong, you can fix it. And that’s how major companies start off, putting ideas into practice. It’s not tomorrow, when the weather is perfect and the stars are in perfect alignment.

3. You will fail.

If you don’t fail, maybe you were not aiming high enough, and you didn’t risk enough. Make sure you make mistakes as fast as possible, in order to learn as fast as possible. And this means putting your plan into practice, get started in the market and carry out tests. Talk to experienced professionals, ask about what they have done wrong, and use the tips to avoid making the same mistakes in your business.

4. No one cares about your genius idea.

There’s an excellent quote from Gandhi, which perfectly applies for those who are starting the entrepreneurial journey.

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

This means that people will only acknowledge what you have done or the idea you had when you prove their real value with results. This goes for any sphere in the professional world. In entrepreneurship, good ideas pop up all the time, but many of them just die out due to lack of effort, persistence, or action!

The tip here is: get moving. Put something into practice every day. Something that will make your business move a little bit forward.

5. The more you work, the more luck you will have.

And luck, in this case, is no mystical phenomenon. It is the result of a lot of hard work and dedication. When you work hard, new people, new businesses and opportunities will naturally appear all around you.

6. Big decisions are yet to come.

And you should take the responsibility to make the best choice. Keep in mind that in many moments you will have to make rational decisions and leave your emotions aside. Think fast and keep going.

7. Working late at night and weekends is necessary.

Believe me when I say this: the successful companies did not just make it in an instant. They were build on working late and on the weekends. While you sleep, the competition keeps on working. And if you still plan to power through this, make sure you will thank me in the future.

8.You will have to learn to sell.

If you own your business, you will have to be a good salesperson, especially if you start by yourself or with a partner. At first, you will have to multitask and selling is you main objective: be it by selling a product or your idea to an investor. Learn persuasion techniques, negotiation, how to better communicate online and in person. Good communication skills open doors, and, as I have already mentioned, what you need the most at this moment is to attract good opportunities. I recommend an excellent book for you to get started: “How to win friends and influence people”, from Dale Carnegie, which although it was written in 1936, teaches techniques can may be as well used today in many different situations.

9. Studying is essential.

Reading, studying and keeping up with the latest news about the world, especially in your market niche, is essential for you business to take off. And I don’t mean once a week, you need to do it every day. Use technology in your favor, your smartphone/notebook/tablet is always within reach. Buy ebooks, subscribe to interesting feeds and use your free time to always know about the latest news and trends in your market niche.

10. You will want to give up.

Someone had to tell you this, right? Well, is isn’t an easy journey, that’s for sure, and giving up will cross your mind at the difficult moments. And believe me: there will be moments in which it will seem that everything is going in the wrong direction. But what if you give up, in the middle of the race, when the next curve can be the last one before the finishing line? You will never know. Every entrepreneur, even a digital entrepreneur, has bad days. And at moments like this, remember that your dreams and goals are not as far as you think. There’s nothing wrong in taking a break and calm your mind to recharge your batteries. But when that’s done, get back on track!

11. The grass on the other side may seem greener.

And maybe it is. But don’t let this get you down or stop you from moving forward with your business. It is healthy to frequently monitor how your competition is doing, but don’t let other people’s results influence you too much.

If you made the decision of becoming a digital entrepreneur, now is the time to follow our rules and get to work! I hope you have a lot of success with your business. Whenever you need, come back to this post and reread the items on this list. This will help you move forward even more.