I found Ron’s top 10 geek business myths pretty interesting. He has a lot of good things to say on how businesses thrive and what are the forces behind success, but what I think drives it home is in Myth #8:
…what you do need is a willingness to work your buns off … The reason is very simple: if you don’t believe in the commercial potential of your idea enough to give up your evenings and weekends to own a bigger chunk of it, why should anyone else believe in it enough to put their hard-earned money at risk?
Dead on the money, even for bloggers.
I’ve had a few blog ideas for years (especially one in the nature of a photography blog). My biggest challenge was getting them started. I guess I had all of my eggs in one basket: when I initially came up with my idea, I had unrealistic expectations that it would be easy to get the followers I needed to make it a popular endeavor. I’ve written blogs in the past; I know it isn’t that easy. For that reason, I told myself that maybe it wasn’t worth it.
Looking back on that decision, I know I made a mistake. I’ve always liked to write. When I was a kid, I told my mother I wanted to be an author. She spent a good chunk of time trying to convince me otherwise. (Alas, I am not an author.) Still, my passion for writing hasn’t waned and I want to live up to the potential of what I wanted to be as a young child.
I’m showing up late in the game, but I won’t be the last “new blogger on the block.” And Ron says it: the mantra “If you build it, they will come” definitely doesn’t hold true. It’s time for me to follow these 21 guidelines as to why.
Patience is a virtue. And continually providing quality content (as well as being apprised on the industry news) will help. Those are steps towards that “willingness” that Ron discusses in his myths post.
There’s a lot to take for bloggers from these two posts, even though they’re geared to those who are looking to market an idea or business. I should take note, and if you’re starting off and feel a bit of a struggle getting “out there,” you should too.
