Many home business owners experience the occasional enlightening moment where they realize they may be just this side of crazy. I am one of them. I can be motivating and optimistic when it comes to your problems, but I am a “waiting for the other shoe to drop” kind of girl when it comes to my own. As I created yet another list the other day I thought, “You are about half-nuts.” But, being an Obsessive Pessimist is not always a bad thing when it comes to running an online business. It occasionally makes you do a lot of smart things.
Do at least one thing each week that works towards a long-term goal. If you are creating actionable goals, you should have a list of things that need done to make that five-year hope a reality. The last thing an Obsessive Pessimist wants is to wake up at the 4.5-year point and realize they are further from the finish line than when they started. The Obsessive Pessimist usually turns a 5-year plan into a 2.5-year plan rather quickly.
Complete at least one task each day that creates passive income. OPs need money – a lot of it. You just never know when it may stop coming in. This is why residual income is so very important. Do something every day to contribute to something that will make money on its own. This may be writing one page for your next Kindle book, publishing one Hub, posting to your blog, updating your resources page with your affiliate links to your current recommendations, applying to affiliate programs, etc.
Keep learning. You don’t want to fall behind your competitors when it comes to the latest technology. There are so many free resources for self-educating readily available there is no excuse for falling behind.
Diversify. Never rely on a single person or company for your entire income. As an Obsessive Pessimist, I don’t even rely on a single site for my blog income. Spread things around. Make sure it won’t be too much of a hit if you lose that main income source. If you are working 40 hours for a client or company, save, save, save.
Always have a Plan B. This may be a list of past and potential clients, quick gigs that you can do fast money or even your email list. These are avenues you will hit first when you need to make a quick buck or get through a dry spell. Having a backup plan is a good idea if you depend on personal clients, search engines or a site owned by someone else. If someone, something or some site disappears overnight, you can quickly generate income while you get back on your feet.
Check yourself often. These are all smart moves when you maintain balance. Things get crazy if you go overboard. Don’t let your doomsday planning derail the here and now.
What smart-crazy tips would you add to the list?
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Angie Nelson
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Angie,
I think my husband is the obsessive pessimist and I am the obsessive optimist. He does the stuff you describe above and i do the opposite. He will take a 5 year project and make it 2.5 like you said. Mine will turn into 5.5. Eek!
He hates to rely on anyone and me, I like to. Let’s just say his business is better off than mine. LOL
~Allie
You’ll get there, Allie. Keep plugging away.
I like your point about doing one thing each week towards your long term goal. For the most part, I accomplish this task weekly but there are times when I am scrambling to finish work I have piled up in my inbox. The biggest tip I can contribute is to make an appointment with yourself on your calendar – mark off at least a 3-4 hour chunk of time weekly to work on the “big picture” stuff.
Good plan, Suzanne!