Not too long ago, work meant spending more than forty hours of my week in a small cubicle in front of a computer, having little creative freedom or part in the decision-making process, and receiving a salary that’s just enough to cover for our monthly household expenses. Like most people, I dreamt of being able to work from home. It took me months of mulling over before I filed my resignation. The idea of being able to have more time to be with my children and spouse was very appealing. I felt I was missing a lot, especially because I have children.
I was confident in leaving my day job because I knew there are several means to make money online and work from home. The first job I took on the Internet was to provide administrative support to an online marketing company. As a virtual assistant, my job description included content writing, doing some research, and completing other tasks as delegated. The income I received from doing this job was about the same amount that my previous employer gave me, but what surprised me was that I had more money by month’s end as a virtual assistant. The savings came from not having to pay for fuel, transportation and other incidental expenses.
During my stint as a virtual assistant I became familiar with various online marketing strategies. Eventually, this familiarity developed into interest, and I signed up for seminars and took supplemental courses to learn the industryâs best practices with the intent of starting an online marketing firm and be my own boss.
I teamed up with my wife who knows how to create and design websites so we can offer both Internet marketing and website set-up services. Being a one-stop shop worked to our advantage and our customer base began to expand through referrals. To attract customers, we made sure that our website showed our level of expertise and that we rank highly on the Web. In the beginning, our customers were mostly non-profit organizations and blog operators. Eventually our customer base expanded and we now cater to businesses from various sectors. Our first office was a rarely used shed in our garden. By repurposing this shed, we were able to start our business for a relatively small cash outlay. Eventually the business grew and we now have an office in the city. We wanted to also give other people the opportunity to make money online without leaving their houses so most of the workers we eventually hired work by telecommuting.
Running an online marketing agency is not the easiest thing to do, but it is very worthwhile. To succeed in this industry you have to know effective communication techniques. This venture requires perseverance and imagination as well. You also need to be methodical and adhere to industry protocols to provide quality and timely services. You also have to be nimble enough to tackle issues as they crop up. Open-mindedness is also important since the industry continues to evolve.
Running an Internet marketing agency is not devoid of risks. For starters, there is always that likelihood that the final output may not fit your client’s requirements, especially if they delegated much of the project development to you or have vague expectations. Security risks, like virus and hacker attacks, can also disrupt business operations which can lead to loss in client confidence and consequently revenues. However, these risks are not entirely unmanageable.
The company is now a decade old, and it provides a steady and substantial income stream for me and my family. Indubitably, having my own company makes achieving work and life balance not only a dream but a reality.