Don’t Make the Mistake of Not Updating Your Skills

Most people have the ability to offer some kind of service or product online. If someone is looking for what you do and it’s something they can’t do or don’t have the time for, they will pay you to do it. But you don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket. Demand for skills changes, and that’s why it’s necessary to make sure you can offer multiple sets of skills. For this, you need to keep updating your skills.

Even when you outsource services to clients, you want to have knowledge of the basics on whatever you are offering. You never know if an outsourcer fails to complete a task or does it incorrectly. You may not have the time to have them correct it due to deadline pressures.

It’s during these times that knowing about what you are offering can help you to step in and finish the job. You want to avoid missing deadlines as much as possible.

That is a difficult situation to reverse. Of course, having dependable resources in the first place will limit this situation from arising. When considering outsourcers, have them do some jobs that are exclusively for you, in the beginning, to see how they perform. Again, having a grasp on the basics of the task they perform will help you evaluate their skills. Once you are confident of their abilities, you can use those resources to perform work for your clients.

For the most part, the internet has made it quite easy for people to keep their skills up-to-date and learn new ones. There are plenty of websites dedicated to learning. Some have specific subjects while others are general purpose. You may need to pay for some courses, but you’ll be able to find plenty of them for free. YouTube is one place to look if you can get past the advertising and offers. Another free place that expands frequently is Khan Academy.

When you feel comfortable with your new skill sets, you can offer them as standalone services, or you can use them as add-ons. If you already have an existing client base, simply let them know that you can perform these extra services when they need them. Also, ask them if they know of anyone who may be looking for such services. You already have proven yourself to your clients so they should have no problem recommending colleagues. These types of referrals are your best sources for new jobs.

Learn from Your Online Business Mistakes

Everyone makes mistakes. It’s part of being human. The biggest failure when you do make mistakes is not learning from them. Some people get so overwhelmed by their mistakes that it paralyzes them. Instead, using those mistakes as a basis to not repeat them will help your business grow.

Having said this, you should try to avoid mistakes whenever you can, especially if you have made them in the past. It’s amazing how many people will continue creating situations that they have to later try and rectify, especially when they know it didn’t work out in the past. Insanity is defined as doing the same things over with different expectations for the results.

If you want some guidelines on how to either avoid mistakes or learn from them, the first is to keep a journal. Whenever you come across a situation, record it in the journal along with any steps you took. Also, take note of whether you viewed it as successful or not. When time passes, we may run into those situations again and not remember it. The act of writing something down will help you remember it in the future.

Besides, you will have a roadmap of steps to take or avoid should you not remember the circumstance. Another way to deal with mistakes or potential ones is to seek the advice of trustworthy colleagues and friends.

If you know someone who has dealt with a similar situation, consult with them about what steps they took to deal with it. If you find their advice helpful, consider doing something in exchange for that advice. Perhaps you can give them something relevant to your business, or you can refer the business to them in the future.

The types of mistakes you want to avoid are ones that can get you in legal trouble. If you are unsure of taking some action, don’t hesitate to consult with an attorney on the subject. Seek one who is qualified in the area of law that deals with the situation.

In most cases, there is no avoiding making mistakes completely, so don’t beat yourself up too much when you do. It’s important to recognize that

you have made them and take ownership of them. Passing the blame onto others is going to make the situation worse and is going to upset the people you are blaming. Owning up to your mistakes will keep the integrity of your business intact and will help you to sleep better at night.

How to manage Your Online Business Compliant?

Running an online business can be a lot of fun and can be profitable as well. But it’s important that you make sure you are meeting all compliance requirements with governments. Many website owners ignore this at their peril.

If you capture emails of potential customers, in many countries, you are required to disclose what you intend to do with those emails. You need to let these customers know if you intend to sell their emails or any other plan you have for them. It is common to include this in your website’s privacy policy.

If you include testimonials, make sure that they are real. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is cracking down on companies and websites that are fabricating testimonials. This should be common sense but make sure you get people who have actually used your product and are giving genuine feedback about it. Also, be aware that if you pay for these testimonials or give your product away for free in exchange for a testimonial, this fact must be disclosed as well.

If your business includes affiliate sales and you provide reviews of affiliate products you are selling, you must disclose that you have an affiliate relationship that may result in commissions generated. The FTC wants to make sure your potential customers understand your reviews may be biased based on the fact that you are receiving commissions.

It’s not the worst idea to run your policies by a lawyer who is familiar with compliance law. The internet is accessed by many people around the world. This complicates the scenario as you need to make sure you are compliant not only in your country but everywhere else your website may be viewed. Many countries are trying to implement similar rules but you simply never know when one falls outside those rules.

Failure to comply can at best get you a warning and at worst levy steep fines for your business. Those fines will likely be more than any amount a lawyer would charge to help ensure compliance. Of course, there are plenty of tricksters and charlatans who will use scare tactics to try and get you to purchase products and services that will help you keep compliant. If you have a budget for this, you will be better served to pay a lawyer as the solution will be specific to your business. Don’t leave it to chance. You may put your business at risk if you do.