Is now the right time to move your business online?

Is it time for you to move your business online?

With everything that is going on right now and non-essential businesses being forced to close down, there’s not a lot of hope for an even stream of income for many brick & mortar businesses for the time being.

It certainly can be unnerving to not know the future of your business .

The fear of what kind of impact it will have on the economy might be very real, but that’s not to say that your business HAS to be completely shut down.

More and more business owners are wracking their brains and flocking towards one source that could help them in their time of need: the internet.

With over 3.5 billion people online throughout the world, there is a GIANT opportunity to take our businesses to the internet and cast our net wider during a time like this (and beyond).

And all this poses the question: “is now the right time to move my business online?”

As an online entrepreneur myself, I am cheering you on from my computer desk for asking this question and for looking for ways to keep your business afloat.

But, along with my enthusiasm, I don’t want to lead you down the road of high hopes.

Because in all honesty, having an online business is HARD.

Setting it up can be challenging. Implementing new ways of business can be a struggle. Not knowing what you’re doing can be intimidating. And if you pile more on your plate than you bargained for, then it could waste your time and resources (and money).

That’s not to say you cannot do it though!

In fact, I believe there are MANY business owners that could take theirs to the internet now and have massive success – there’s just a few things that I see being the most beneficial in having BEFORE putting your business online.

With 7 years of having my own online business & learning multiple ways of running it more efficiently, here are my personal tips/guidelines if you’re serious about expanding your business to the masses online.

Disclaimer: Affiliate links are used in this post, so that means if you purchase anything through these links, we will get a small commission AT NO EXTRA COST TO YOU. We only promote and share products that we personally us, trust, and love!

You teach in-person classes or lessons

This is probably the EASIEST intro into to get your business online.

If you are already teaching classes or lessons in person, then there are many ways you can still apply this online for your clients and customers.

There are countless options such as taking online payments through a processing system like Square and setting up live zoom classes to your students – AKA piecemealing it.

Or you can setup a more intuitive, robust, and professional way through a platform like Kajabi.

Personally, I have been using Kajabi to host my online courses over the past 9 months and I will say that it’s worth every single penny. It was so easy to setup through their step-by-step implementation course and everything that you need to sell and teach courses is already there. Not to mention you can collect emails, run paid memberships, host your blog, and create countless landing pages for your site.

If you are ready to take the leap with your online classes, then look no further. Click here to see more of what Kajabi can offer you!

You have physical products that can be sold & shipped

If you run a store or boutique, then good news, this is a great way to continue making sales even if your shop cannot be open right now.

I have seen many small business boutiques that have private Facebook groups that do weekly auctions and sales to generate more income to their business. This is a great way to get your business online at little cost and without tinkering with an e-commerce platform.

But, if you’re ready to make the jump to professional online shop, then going through a platform like Shopify is the way to go.

I ran my business through many e-commerce platforms and plugins over the years and will say that Shopify is the preferred way to go for MANY reasons, but the biggest being how simple it it. Not only is building a shop super easy, not having to hire a web professional is a huge perk. Not to mention that when I moved my online shop over to Shopify, I no longer faced buggy glitches, broken pages and apps, and the countless headaches that were brought on by a patched-together system.

Shopify wins at e-commerce all around – check it out here to see if it’s a good fit for you.

You offer consult services

With all the technology we have at our fingertips, running a consultation over the internet is as easy as ever. Not to mention, there is always the phone if you’re in a pinch.

Online booking apps and platforms (such as Honeybook) make this easy to schedule, take payments, and organize your business in one easy location – no software or downloads needed!

If you are steadily offering consultations in your business, then getting this implemented will be essential if you’re not able to meet in person.

You have a skill that you can share

Even if you don’t have a part of your business that you could easily transition into an online course, lesson, product, or consult, you can still put yourself out there!

Using a platform like Kajabi, it’s easy to upload video content for a course or membership to help you fill the gaps in your income and provide a new service/product to your existing clientele.

If you’re a hairstylist who needs some extra money coming in without being able to meet with your clients, you could offer a free incentive like at-home hair tutorials or tips when gift cards or vouchers are purchased. Or just simply offer an at-home course on cutting kids hair.

In this instance, don’t be so worried about making it perfect – keep in mind that your course/offer is helping people during a difficult time!

Maybe you’re a photographer that can’t meet clients for sessions. Your incentive for clients to purchase gift cards or vouchers could be a recorded video or course of you showing them the best ways to take photos in their home or outside with their phone or camera – or vice versa.

If you have a gift or a talent that you can share right now that could help your audience, then now is just as good of a time than ever to get yourself online!

You have an engaged social media following

This might be your biggest asset right now if you’re contemplating a move to online.

If you have a raving audience that you show up for on a consistent basis, then you are already ahead of the game!

With an engaged & well-primed audience, it will be an easy transition to now start offering your products and services online – because they are already there anticipating your next move!

It could be as easy as running a Facebook or Instagram live to let your audience know of your new way of running your business online. Then, based on their feedback and response, you can plan to move forward in a way that makes the most sense for your business and brand.

Starting your online side of your business doesn’t need to be complicated or over-thought. It’s as good of a time as ever to get yourself out there, because you deserve to not let your business go under!