Let’s get something important out of the way:
It’s okay to have fears.
Actually, it can be good to have fears.
Especially when it comes to any kind of entrepreneurial venture.
- Fear can keep you working hard.
- Fear can keep you asking the right questions.
- Fear can keep you from taking any success for granted.
These are all good things.
The flip side of fear though, as you well know, is that when fears are not kept in check with logic and rational thought, they can lead to us withdrawing from worthwhile activities or quitting before we’ve completed a goal.
Which brings us to the intersection of fear and digital commerce
If the thought of building your own online business around digital products and services doesn’t scare you a little bit, check your pulse. 😉
Because such an ambitious objective, and the hard work it will take to get there, should scare you a bit. But as long as that fear is channeled into the positive bullet points listed above, it’s all good.
Here’s what isn’t all good …
When one of the five fears listed below holds you back from pursuing the freedom and financial opportunity of your own entrepreneurial endeavor with digital products.
While the fears we’re about to discuss are reasonable to experience, that doesn’t make it reasonable to succumb to them. For these fears can be overcome by attacking their soft underbelly with logic, reason, and the proven experience of others.
Let’s take a minute now and shine an important light on these five fears, to bring them out of the darkness and into the light of day … where they don’t stand a chance. 🙂
To help you fight each fear, I’ve included an essential episode of Brian Clark’s podcast Unemployable as a bonus. Listen to give your brain some important inputs that will provide necessary balance to your current thinking.
Fear #1: Building a digital business will cost too much money
Yes, building a digital business will cost you some money — website infrastructure costs, training costs, etc.
But if something costs you, say, $500 over the course of a year, and you generate, say, $3,000 during that year, is the cost really what’s most important?
Don’t let the fear of investing some money now blind you from the many different avenues to revenue and profit that digital products present.
How to fight this fear: 8 Ways Startups Can Make Money with an Online Audience
Fear #2: Building a digital business will take too much time
Yes, building a digital business will take time. There is no way around this.
So if you literally have no time to invest in building an audience and developing digital products, you probably should give in to this fear and walk away now. But in my experience, most people do have enough time to at least get moving — even if it’s not as much time initially as they’d like to have (a distinction that is critical).
The key is to actually prioritize your personal goals and your future freedom (because no one else is going to do it for you), and then make smart choices about what to do with the available time that you do have.
How to fight this fear: From Side Hustle to Digital Domination
Fear #3: But I’m just one person! How much can I really accomplish?
A lot.
Way more than you think.
Especially if you’re patient with your timeline, take a big-picture view, and smartly follow the proven path laid out by so many people who have come before you.
How to fight this fear: The Power of the Company of One
Fear #4: Okay, but how can I be confident that I’ll make good decisions and not screw everything up once it’s growing?
Because you’re more capable than you think. And because there are so many mentors and examples out there whose lead you can follow.
And, more importantly, because your own intuition — once it is honed by the deep experience you will gain growing an audience and learning how to serve them — is the greatest and most underrated guide you will have.
The best part? You don’t have to pay to access it, and no one can take it away from you. 😉
How to fight this fear: Unleash Your Intuition to Win
Fear #5: Fine, but isn’t this all just a crazy pipe dream anyway?
It’s definitely not a pipe dream. The thousands of successful digital entrepreneurs out there, and the billions upon billions of dollars they generate every year, are proof of that.
As to whether it’s “crazy,” well … maybe it is a tad bit crazy.
But you know what? Most successful entrepreneurs tend to be a little bit crazy. So this fear is actually a sign that you’re on the right track. 😉
How to fight this fear: Are Entrepreneurs Literally “The Crazy Ones?”
And just for good measure, here is one more fear you might be feeling …
Bonus Fear: How will I know what specific steps to take to succeed?
This is probably the most unreasonable fear of them all.
Why?
Because so many successful paths and successful strategies have already been tried, judged, improved, and refined by those who have come before you.
We know this process well, because we’ve done it over and over again at Rainmaker Digital. The wisdom we have gained from this valuable experience lies at the heart of everything we teach at Digital Commerce Academy.
What you learn inside of Digital Commerce Academy will help you overcome any fear you might have about knowing the specific steps you need to take to succeed with digital commerce.
Take a moment and reflect on any of the fears above that may be affecting your thinking. If any of those fears are stopping you from taking meaningful steps forward, now is the time to consider whether or not they should be.
Because if they shouldn’t be, then these fears are holding you back from living the life you truly want to be living.
And that’s not a fear to respect.
That’s a fear to reject.
If you’re ready to move forward, try Digital Commerce Academy. The doors are open until tomorrow, Wednesday, September 6, and we are ready to help you conquer your fears and live the life you have been dreaming of.
And remember: We offer a 30-day money-back guarantee — no questions asked.
Editor’s note 9/6/17: Digital Commerce Academy is now closed to new students. If you’re interested in learning the strategies and tactics for building a successful digital business, join the waitlist today.
Reader Comments (7)
Very helpful post. This post is exactly how I was when I started my blogging career. I was I am a single person what can I achieve? Another fear was, what if I fail in this industry? I will have to start over with another career. Both of these fears were haunting me until I made my first 50$ affiliate commission
Your post will help many newbie bloggers to conquer their fear(s)
That is an awesome article and I is so relevant to what I have gone through while developing my online essay writing service. It has been a tough decision and took me lots of time to finally arrive to take the decision of launching the business. But after I started off I realised that these were only the fears and overcoming them has helped me to start a business.
Just as my confidence is at an all time low, one quick search and I find this awesome blog post. Literally every fear listed is what I’ve been contemplating, good advice on them all – thanks for the uplift!
Good read! I agree with your points on fear #1 and #2. In most cases, building a digital business does not cost a lot of money, unlike a “brick and mortar” business which does cost a lot of money. The downside to a digital business is usually the time investment it takes to make it profitable which many people underestimate. I heard someone once say that if your going to put in part time hours then plan on making part time money. I think this quote is definitely true when it comes to building a digital business.
I have heard these fears all throughout my writing career and my time in forums, on blogs and all over the place online. They usually come in the form of some ridiculous excuse and if you scroll a little further you’ll find a story of someone that did it with even more roadblocks in their way.
We are put here to conquer our fears, but we get distracted by the money and by the time something takes. Our society teaches that we should get it right now, but it never happens that way. We glorify the “overnight success” and forget they failed a dozen times with other businesses and put in five years of work before becoming an “overnight success”.
Great post Jerod! I think you nailed as these fears get spouted out of the mouths of people wishing they could be successful just about every single day.
Very rightly put Jerod,
‘A fear that holds you back is one you must not respect but reject’. Your tips on how to rationalize with the most common fears of setting up your digital business are quite great. A lot of people give up even before they’ve tried, losing out on wondrous opportunities that may have come their way. Overcome your hindrances, learn from your experiences and you will find your own way. And there’s always others to help, like Jerod. 😀
Fear #3 is a difficult one. I’ve just started shooting videos for YouTube and keep comparing myself to the likes of GaryVee and Neil Patel, and feeling bad that our videos don’t look as good as theirs. Then I have to stop and realise they have huge content teams and are doing this full time.
Being realistic in your expectations helps. But it’s tricky to remember to step back and try to see things that way!
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