Sure, web working and having an online business sound great. And in a lot of ways, it is great. But you have to ask yourself if you’re really cut out for it. I’ve had this conversation with myself a lot over the past year.
There are some large, general questions everyone should ask themselves before getting started. Answer honestly, because otherwise it could be real easy to get in over your head.
Do you have discipline?
No doubt, this is the single most important thing to your web working success. To me, discipline means sticking to a regular work routine, meeting deadlines (whether set by yourself or others), focusing on work only during work time, and knowing when to stop working in order to enjoy other aspects of life.
If you’re the type of person who procrastinates endlessly, or can’t put up a work/play boundary, or only works when they feel like working – you won’t succeed.
Are you passionate?
You better be crazy passionate about what you do and the lifestyle you want.
This might be an obvious question that you might skim over thinking, “Well of course I’m passionate about it. Next.” But really think about it: is it going to be enough for you to do the same things on repeat? Because a lot of web working (depending on what you do), is the same things on repeat.
And are you passionate enough about the lifestyle? Are you able to create your own work atmosphere, or do you need someone else managing you and telling you what to do (some people need this, and there’s nothing wrong with that)?
Then there’s the tough one: are you passionate enough about your work to make it a full-time endeavor?
Are you driven? Do you know what drives you?
Often times, when you work for a boss, there’s no real motivation to do your work and do it well. You’re just filling time and collecting a paycheck. That’s not the case with web work. You need to be your own motivator. Honestly assess how well you think you’ll be able to do this.
I didn’t ask myself this question before I leaped into my current career. I found it really difficult to keep myself motivated at first (and some days, I still do). But then I put down on paper what drives me. Things like providing for my husband and I while he’s in school, freedom, seeing results, doing things myself and seeing the final product, helping others, etc. Now, on those days when I just don’t feel like doing anything but I have things to do, I can get started and get going.
Do you have the support of those around you?
Don’t make the mistake of passing this question by. Your success as a web worker will largely depend on the support of others. I couldn’t have ever leaped into my web working career if I didn’t have the support and approval of my wonderful husband, who respects when I’m working and has taken on some of the cooking and cleaning so I can focus. I’d still be deciding whether or not to leave my job if it wasn’t for the sane advice of my parents, friends, and fellow bloggers. Hell, I even have the support of my Twitter friends! They guide me to resources when I need them.
The point here is that you’ll never make it without the support of those around you. We all need some shoulders to lean on occasionally.
So you’ve answered the big questions. You’re passing so far. But now it’s time to answer some smaller, more narrowly focused questions. These will vary depending on your situation and could be just as big of deal breakers as the questions above. Here are some examples:
- Would you rather work alone or in a group?
- How do you feel about going out there and doing some networking?
- What’s your tech knowledge like?
- How do you feel about a fluctuating income?
- Have you established a way to cover those things that don’t exist when you’re working for yourself – health insurance, retirement savings, etc?
- Who’s counting on you?
- Do you have a business plan? It doesn’t need to be an incredibly official document, but do you have some sort of plan in place?
- Have you taken into account the cost of startup for working online?
Don’t just jump into working online without assessing if it’s a good match for you. Web working offers a lot of freedom, but you also sacrifice a lot of things in many areas. And if you don’t have ideal answers to the questions above, don’t let that put a stopper on your dreams. Make the necessary life, personality, or circumstance changes, and then go for it.
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