I talk a lot about commitment. I think it’s the starting point of everything when it comes to building your online business. If you can commit to using every available resource, every available moment, every available sinew to building your online business for at least 3 years then you are virtually guaranteed to succeed.
It’s called the 3-year rule. It’s also called the 5-year rule. It’s called a lot of time-based names, but the basic principle is that you should be committed to giving it your best shot for a set amount of time, without any expectation that you will succeed.
That last part is not meant to scare you, it is a test of your commitment.
“Love is like quicksilver in the hand. Leave the fingers open and it stays. Clutch it and it darts away.”
Dorothy Parker
This is one of my favourite quotes and I quite happily interchange ‘success’ and ‘love’ at the beginning as and when needed.
Thinking about the success part is a waste of time. Success will come to you if you work like you are truly committed for, well, let’s go with the 3-year timeline because I’m feeling inspired.
Think about this:
- Set up a freelancing profile on Fiverr.
- Post on social media about your services to all your friends, asking them to send the word out.
- Offer your services for free at first to build up reviews.
All of that can be done in a few hours.
Holy crap, what could you do in three years??
The timescale is only one part of commitment though. You could dabble in building an online business for a bit, wait three years and then say to me “Where’s my wealth, James?”.
That’s not committing to giving it your best shot, that’s just wasting time.
I said you need to use every available resource, moment and sinew on this journey.
At the beginning it will be hard, your brain will be telling you to give up. You will not see any progress (even if it is there to see) and you will think it’s not working. But your brain is not thinking of the compound effect of everything you do, every day, for three years.
If you want a powerful book that will reinforce the effect of compounded effort, built up little by little every day then I recommend reading The 1% Rule by Tommy Baker.
You will look back at where you were three years ago and wonder why you had any doubts in the first place. Actually, that’s a good reminder of one important thing that you need to do from now on. Journal everything to do with your online business journey. This gives you a chance to look back and see your progress when your brain is incapable of tracking it itself.
With a journal of your journey, you will be able to see differences even over the course of a week. But don’t keep checking back quite so frequently, try to keep it to a 90-day cycle.
Back to commitment. I used the word ‘available’ earlier when talking of the resources, moments and sinews you need to use. The idea of building your online business should always come from a place of working towards a better life. For you, for your family, for the people you help through your business. With that in mind, it is important to remember this is a journey all of those people will be going through together.
Don’t turn this opportunity into another drag on your finances, time and energy. Only use what you have available. Be sensible about how you organise your time and make sure you are still living your life while you do this. It will be a false economy to double down on your efforts without giving yourself room to breathe.
I will talk about how this could even be possible in other articles, but suffice to say; if your body and mind are not being asked to work in the most efficient way then they will not oblige with efficiency in return.
Efficiency will be the key. Using your strengths, knowing when to seek help, finding your best working routine. There are many ways you can find the right balance of work.
The one thing you need to provide is commitment.
So, what does commitment look like when building an online business?
- Be prepared to give yourself at least 3 years to make your business work, without expecting success.
- Provide yourself with all available resources, time and energy.
- Understand that your everyday efforts will add up exponentially over a long period of time (like, say, 3 years!).