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Have you ever wondered why some people are successful in their online business and some are not? What is the difference between the ones who earn barely enough to scrape by versus those who are able to generate a full-time income?
In this post, I’m going to share with you what I believe is the most important thing to do to have a successful online business.
The other day I was in a Facebook group and I noticed that somebody asked a question. She was having trouble with a certain aspect of her business and she was reaching out for help in this Facebook group. Several people offered suggestions and ideas including myself. We spent valuable time giving her suggestions and feedback.
However, I noticed that in her responses to each of the suggestions offered, she was providing some kind of reason that that idea wouldn’t work for her. Or, she was claiming that she had already tried that and it had not worked. I replied one more time, trying to give her some more guidance on how to proceed, but after my idea was disregarded once again, I realized what the problem was.
As much as this girl claimed that she wanted help, she was not coachable. She was not willing to learn from others and implement advice from people who have been successful. And unfortunately, it’s unlikely that she’s going to reach her goals.
I believe the most important thing that someone can do to be successful in their online business is to be willing to learn from others, or what I call being coachable.
I found this to be true back when I was coaching team members in my referral marketing business. I could almost always predict who was going to be successful and who was going to fail based on their attitude in the first few conversations we would have.
The people who were eager to learn, willing to do what was suggested, and who took action on the recommendations we gave them were the ones who would quickly succeed.
The 1 most important thing to do to be successful in your online business is being coachable.Click To TweetBut people who always had a better idea, a new way of doing something, or 15 reasons why our suggestions would not work for them and their particular situation were the ones who would hit a wall and give up before giving the business a chance.
Being coachable means being willing to learn from others who have gone ahead of you. It means keeping your mind open to new ideas and different ways of doing things. It means not getting stuck in the way that you’ve always done something, especially if it’s not working. Being coachable also means taking action on the ideas and concepts you are learning.
I believe that’s the reason I was able to quickly grow when I first got started with my wellness business. And it’s one the reasons I was able to double my revenue goals in the first three months of this business. When I got serious about growing my blog and then my online business, I started looking for every resource I could find to learn from.
I joined groups that would provide me with networking opportunities as well as learning opportunities. I invested in a couple courses to help me learn in areas where I was lacking. And I continue to learn every single day by listening to podcasts, reading, and going through courses that I have at my fingertips.
So if you are ready to take action and continue learning and growing in your online journey, then I want to recommend a few of my favorite resources–both free and paid. Check them out below.
My favorite podcasts for growing your online business:
- Smart Passive Income with Pat Flynn
I absolutely love listening to this podcast. When Pat talks, it’s like you’re sitting right there with him. He’s so down-to-earth, and he is a great teacher. He is also an excellent interviewer, and I always learn something when I listen to this podcast. This is a must-listen if you want to build a successful online business. - The Boss Mom Podcast with Dana Malstaff
This is a great podcast for any mom who is also growing a business. Sometimes Dana interviews another Boss Mom, sometimes she shares business tips and advice, and other episodes are fun chats between her and NJ Rongner. I love the variety and the way that Dana is able to provide different perspectives on various topics about business and mom life. - The Femtrepreneur Show with Mariah Coz & Megan Minns
I have followed Mariah Coz for quite some time, so when she and Megan started a podcast, I was thrilled. This podcast focuses on building online courses and all the different things you need to do to build your online business. - Building a StoryBrand Podcast with Donald Miller
My husband introduced me to this podcast a few months ago, and I binged listened to multiple episodes. I can’t get enough of StoryBrand! This podcast is perfect for any entrepreneur who wants to more effectively reach their ideal client or customer. It’s a combination of Don and his co-host JJ Peterson chatting, as well as Don interviewing different guests. There are so many amazing episodes of this podcast, so I definitely recommend subscribing. - Creative Empire Podcast with Reina Pomeroy and Christina Scalera
This is a great podcast for anyone in the creative niche, but I think it expands beyond that, too. Even though I’m a service provider in more of a technical role, I enjoy the interviews and tips from Reina, Christina, and their guests. - Radical Candor with Kim Scott and Russ Laraway
This is another newer podcast that I was introduced to recently, and it has quickly become one of my favorites. This focuses more on work life, and what it means to be “radically candid” within the roles of boss and employee. However, I feel a large amount of what they discuss can be applied to relationships outside of work. And for me, as a business owner who has clients as well as team members, there are a lot of principles that I apply directly even though I’m not in a traditional job. - Online Marketing Made Easy with Amy Porterfield
This was one of the very first podcasts I started listening to when I began working on growing my blog, and it is still one of my faves. When Amy talks, I feel like I’m sitting next to a friend ready to absorb everything she has to say. She is a great teacher, and each of her episodes is chock-full of applicable tips and things you can implement right away.
My favorite blogs to read for growing your business:
Lastly, I want to share a few courses or programs that I recommend. I only recommend courses/programs that I have actually used, benefited from, or that I am extremely familiar with the course creator’s content and services.
Please note some of the links below are affiliate links, so if you should choose to purchase, I will get a commission for referring you at no extra cost to you.
My favorite courses to purchase for a successful online business:
- Create Your Laptop Life Network
While not exactly a course, this fabulous network of online service providers as well as coaches, entrepreneurs, and course creators is invaluable. I love being a part of this network, and it’s a big part of how I doubled my income goals within my first 3 months of business. Within the network, you get access to weekly coaching calls (as well as all the previously recorded calls), and you can submit any question you have for these calls! You also get access to job listings for various opportunities. - The Digital Gangsta from Julie Stoian of Create Your Laptop Life
Grab the free workshop to learn the foundations of building an online business and becoming your own best digital marketer. If you want to go deeper, The Digital Gangsta course put together by Julie Stoian will take you from planning & market research to lead generation to having a fully-functional sales funnel earning passive income. Julie is the master at teaching and sharing absolutely everything she knows about how to become a digital marketer. - Launch Your Signature Course from Femtrepreneur
When I decided in 2016 that I wanted to launch a course about marriage for my WellnessMomLife blog, I did a lot of research about what was available to help me learn how to do so. Since I had been reading the Femtrepreneur blog and had gone through the free “How to Build a Profitable Blog” course, I knew that I liked Mariah’s teaching style and quality of her content. The LYSC course was an investment, but it was incredibly in-depth. It also covered more than just creating your course; it dove into list-building prior to the course, pre-selling, and launching the course. - List Builder’s Lab from Amy Porterfield
This was the first online course I purchased and went through. I love Amy’s teaching style, and the course was just what I needed to get my list-buidling process started. If you are wanting to focus on building your email list, this is a great course for you. - Facebook Ads Masterclass from Julie Stoian of Create Your Laptop Life
Want to learn Facebook Ads? This is a free crash course on how to use Facebook ads to build awareness, generate leads, and more. - Let’s Go Live! Growing Your Business With Live Broadcasts
This course is for you if you want to use live broadcasts, specifically Facebook Live, as part of your marketing strategy. Live video is the most powerful way to connect with your audience, but it can be overwhelming. Check out Carrie’s course to learn how to do this effectively.
Never Stop Learning
If you want to be successful in your online business, being coachable and willing to learn is the single most important thing you can do. It will lead you to places you never thought you could go. It will stop you from being prideful and thinking you’ve got it all figured out.
In this online world, things are constantly changing. By continuing to learn, your knowledge will never grow stagnant. And by taking action on what you learn, you will see results for yourself and find out what approaches work best for you.
So make a decision today to be coachable. Don’t be the person who asks a question in a facebook group, but has excuses about why all the suggestions won’t work. Don’t be the person who simply listens to podcasts and webinars but doesn’t take action. Be the person who decides to constantly learn and grow, no matter what! By doing that, you can definitely have a successful online business.
If you’d like to have a master list of resources and more tools to grow your online business, click the button below.
