sjsmith.com.au - blog

Drawing your own map

Finding Your Way Foward

I'm pretty new to all of this online business. Selling online, having a blog, even Pinterest and Instagram are all pretty new.  The more I learn, the more I realise there is to learn and that's okay. I wanted to use this year to get better educated and I've started pretty well - ironically, using online courses for the most part. There's a staggering amount of information available (much of it for free) if you just look. The main problem that I've encountered is that there is so much information out there that it's easy to get overwhelmed by what to do next. Everyone has an opinion on which blogging platform you should use, which automated email, how often you should post to facebook, whether you should be on you-tube.  What I've come to realise is that you don't have to have all the answers to move forward and you don't have to follow advice - even when it's given by experts.  You have to find what's right for you and your business. A lot of advice suggests that you should have a Twitter presence. I decided that I prefer picture based online  communication (aside from blogging) so I've decided to pass on Twitter. That may or may not be the right choice but it feels right for me. Like many of you, for the most part I am the go-to person for nearly all aspects of my business. I think it's particularly important to chart your own route when it's just you.

That doesn't mean that you shouldn't try different things  or keep learning but you need to make choices about what's a good fit. If you're thinking about Twitter give it a go for a month and see how you like it. If it feels like something you can keep on top of add it to your social networking schedule.  If it feels like an absolute grind after a month think about whether you could outsource it or find an alternative that works for you. For me, one of the great joys about owning your own business is you get to make the decisions (of course that's  a double edge sword when there are tough choices to be made!).  Don't feel like you must do what everyone else is doing.  Don't be afraid to try different things and discard things that don't work for you.  There's no one size fits all.

Till next time,

Sarah-JaneX