It almost seems as though there is a new American dream, a serious contender, at least. That would be to own and operate a successful, cash-sucking online internet business.
Would-be online entrepreneurs are lined up by the droves, mouse in hand, ready to transform their meager existence into the luxurious lifestyle they only dream about. They are filled with online business ideas and business plan examples.
But a desire to create a successful online business, no matter how intense that desire might be, is not enough to make it happen. No matter how many business ideas you may have,there is much more than that involved in building an online success story business.
Whether your business be online or offline is not the issue. they both take the same qualities and strengths to manage profitably.
Many have been operating under the illusion that it takes a different kind of manager online than it does offline. They somehow believe that because they are computer literate and technically savvy and have studies the best online business examples, they should have no problem implementing an online business plan. That is the furthest thing from the truth.
Think about it ~ business is business. All the fundamental rules and building blocks are the same. What it takes to succeed offline, is also what it takes to succeed online.
Certainly there are some differences and only because of geography. For example, offline managers usually have a staff under their leadership. The number can vary and a good leader does things like delegate. No need for that online since most all internet businesses are operated by a single person.
An offline manager is required to discipline at times. Not needed in an online scenario. You get the picture. Yet, the same management skills - whether some are used or not - are required in both online and offline situations. Some management skills are inherent, others are learned. As a rule, those who possess various inherent management skills can be taught the rest through good business coaching.
Skills come in under two two umbrellas ~ hard and soft skills. Hard skills, for instance, can be technical skills developed through your knowledge, experience and abilities. They are related to specific tasks and can often be measured.
Soft skills, on the other hand, are based primarily on human behaviour and are less obvious. Examples would be: sensitivity to others, being perceptive, having respect for others, possessing a sense of humour, recognizing management capabilities in others, etc.
So, what are some of those fundamental building blocks that all business managers must have? This list is by no means exhaustive nor is it in any particular order.
Goal-oriented ~ Good managers know where they are going and how they plan on getting there. A good set of realistic, achievable goals should always precede business start up.
Creative ~ While this does not need to be one's strongest trait, It is very helpful if a business manager possesses some creativity. It will help you, especially online, to generate original, unique, profit-generating campaigns.
Inquisitive ~ Successful people are curious people. They love to get deep inside the nuts and bolts of a project to see what makes it tick, what makes it succeed or what makes it fail.
Perfectionist ~ Without overdoing it, a good online business manager likes every task done to perfection. Correct grammar, correct spelling, neat appearance, etc. are all a must for every webpage, ezine article, blog and email message. Very little slips past a good online business manager.
Self-motivated ~ A good online business manager doesn't need another to prod and cajole him into completing a task. Our business manager is self-motivated. He is by nature a "get-to-it" type of person.
Work smart ~ Our manger looks for ways to work smarter, saving time, money and energy. This is not to be confused with laziness. Working smart and being lazy are two totally different things.
Open-minded ~ The good online business manager is open to new ideas and business concepts. This is especially true in the online environment where methods and systems change as fast and as often as we change socks. Those who are not open to "change" will not make it in an online business.
Diverse ~ A good online business manager looks for more than one profitable business opportunity. He/she is well prepared for the inevitable by having in place a reasonable number of different online businesses that will keep his/her cash flow flowing.
Focused ~ A good online business manager is focused on one task at a time in order to give his/her best to that one project. Though he may have many businesses on the go, his focus is always on one particular project until it is self-sustaining.
Action-oriented ~ A good online business manager takes action when needed. Seldom does he/she "sleep on it". Procrastination is not one of his/her traits. What can be taken care of right now is taken care of right now. Love a challenge ~ A good online business manager will thrive on a good challenge. He loves to beat the odds, especially if he is told "It can't be done!"
Quick-thinking ~ Especially in online marketing, this quality will serve a manager well. Many times daily, an online business manager will be faced with business ideas and business plans that demand an instant decision. Think of all the landing pages you come to that have that "one time offer" that calls for an instant decision.
Problem solver ~ The online business manager will face his share of problems. Everything from computer hardware malfunctions, to software glitches and more. That is to say nothing of customer complaints, etc.
Confident ~ A good online business manager needs a high level of self confidence. Combine this with a positive attitude and you have a powerful personal trait.
Risk-taker ~ "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." The online business manager is not afraid to take risk because he understands business success calls for navigating uncharted waters at times.
Analytic ~ All of today's successful online marketers spend great amounts of time analyzing everything from statistics to conversion rates to campaign effectiveness, etc. He studies such minute details that others would consider wasted time.
Good communicator ~ Even though the vast majority of online marketers work alone, they still need to be good communicators in order to produce result-oriented pitch pages, squeeze pages and email campaign messages.
Determined ~ The successful online business manager does not give up. He keeps his shoulder to the wheel despite some failures and generally poor results from time to time. Instead of throwing in the towel, he looks for a better, more effective way of getting the job done.
Knows their limits ~ There are times you will need help. It is no shame to admit you have reached your limit of expertise or knowledge in a certain area and reach out to your network of peers for assistance. Personal pride has resulted in too many failed businesses simply because the manager would not admit his weakness and ask for help. It could have made the difference. The fact of the matter is that great managers are usually mediocre "doers". On the other side of the coin, some of the best "doers" are poor managers. Good managers often have to rely on others to perform tasks for which they are not skilled.
These are just a sample of personal traits and characteristics shared by successful online business managers.
You may not possess all of the above characteristics, but that doesn't mean you aren't cut out to execute an online business opportunity. Perhaps there are some points you haven't allowed to develop in your life.
Why not start now by acquiring some quality online business coaching and prepare for online success? It is a simple matter of honestly evaluating your skills, personal traits and characteristics and see where you stand. Address those you know need attention. A little hard work and some great business coaching can make all the difference in the world.
By Jack Kindred
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