How to build an online system that pays you, starting with your website

Success is ultimately what you are aiming for in your business.  You have financial goals that you want to achieve.  You have a certain level of notoriety or prestige that you are aiming for.  You want to feel good about what you do or how you help your clients, but I have a question for you.  Have you thought about what it will take to acquire the level of success that you are aiming for?  If we start out with the first goal of most business owners, we have to focus on the money.  Let’s be honest.  If your business isn’t paying you, after a certain amount of time, it is only a hobby.  This means that you have to make it one of you primary goals to hit a certain financial marker in your business to keep going.  There are different ways of hitting your goals, but I want encourage you to build an online system that pays you, starting your website.

Without online systems, time blocks hinder you

In the last post, I talked with you about the importance of making sure that your goals were in place, so that you could focus on achieving them.  We discussed why you should have the mindset of success and how you can maintain such a mind set.  I also encouraged you to build an online system that would help you crush your goals, and I told you what that system would look like.  If you haven’t already, I invite you to take a moment and go read that post.  You really don’t want to miss out on what I shared.  It will help to frame your mind for what we are diving into today.  You have to be ready for this next step and you have to know that you can accomplish this task to make sure that you are getting paid, using your systems in your business.

Yes!  I said it.  You need to get paid using systems in your business.  We live in a day and age where there are too many things happening on a day by day and moment by moment basis, for you to be attempting to do everything in your business manually.  This isn’t the 1920’s where life is a bit slower.  No!  Life in the 21st century is fast pace.  Even if you try to slow it down, once you get in business and jump on any online platform, things begin to speed up.  You get connected with people all over the world that you would never have met before.  If your product or service is good, they begin to become interested in what you do and how you can help them.  From there you now have to be concerned with time zones.

Time zones alone should be enough for you to start seeing that there are somethings that need to be able to run in your business, without you.  Someone in another time zone could be wanting to work with you, but you are asleep when they are awake and changing that schedule would mean that your entire life would change.  This is where it becomes important to have a website.

Maybe you aren’t worrying about a time zone issue, but I want you to understand that there are still going to be times when time conflicts will arise.  Not only conflicts, but you should be building a business where you aren’t always trading your time for a dollar.  This is how you could experience burn out.  Time trading limits your time and if your time is limited, then your money is limited.  This is especially true, when your business is built around time trading.  You have to begin to change your mind, when it comes to this.

Your system should be set up in a way that allows potential clients to learn about you, without you walking them through the actual steps, at the moment of going through them.  Remember your website is your online business card.  It should be providing your audience with information about who you are, what you do, how you can help them, and when they are ready, how to make a purchase.  You should be able to inform them when you are sleeping, like magic.

If you can’t do this, then you are hindering yourself.  Your online systems should be set up in a way to pay you.

Online systems that pay you

When I talk about time blocks and the challenges that you face as an entrepreneur, it’ because I want you to see and think about the constructs that you place on yourself, without knowing it.  Wanting to be in control of very moment in your business can really hinder you.  It’s ok if you aren’t ready to relinquish control to another person, but you should be able to build out a system that assists and pays you, in your business.

Online systems that pay, first have a few key components.  They are stable and provide consistency.  They allow you to distribute information in ways that are relatable and accurate to your audience.  They are also capable of handling simple processes that you could do manually, but they simplify and streamline the process for you, so that you can place your efforts else where.

These systems should also be very specific and you should determine that they will serve a particular purpose in your business.  This will help you to do evaluations of your systems and to make sure that things are functioning the way that they are intended in your business.  I’m not saying that you have to choose one thing to fulfill these requirements.  Instead, I am saying that the system that you choose or build, should be able to support your business efforts and growth.

It should work together to function, as if you had a person working for you. This is how you know that they system is good.  When you hire someone to work for you, that person serves a particular purpose, which is why companies don’t mind paying employees.  They know that the job the employee does will eventually provide a return on investment, within the business.

Your systems have to be the same way.  You have to be able to evaluate the system and calculate how it is returning your investment in your business.  The system that you build has to pay you.  It has to not only sustain itself, but it must provide a key element in your business that adds to your profit.

Starting with your website

The first element of your system that should be paying you, is your website.  I keep saying this and I will continue, because I don’t want you to forget it.  Your website is your online business card.  It is the place where your audience can go to hear from you.  It is your home online and it provides you with the first element of your platform.

When you have your own website, you aren’t asking someone else for permission to share what you have to say.  You can freely share your message and promote your services, without limitation.  It’s your platform.

Sometimes, I don’t think entrepreneurs realize how important it is to have your own website.  You get on social media every day and you connect with people.  You share your message, your services, you promote, and you focus on social media alone.  All the while, you neglect your website.  You don’t realize that there are limitations on social media.

You literally place yourself and your business in the hands of someone else that isn’t worrying about your success.  You can’t even talk to that person, if there is a problem.  Not only that, but you forget that as platforms change, so must you.  I’m not saying that you should be rigid and stubborn.  No, we must change with the times, but I am saying that you are subjecting yourself to a construct that isn’t necessary to win in your business.

Yes, you want to maintain your social media platform, but I am here to remind you that the platform that is owned by another person, is not your home online.  It should not be the primary way that you inform your audience.  It should not be the only way that you are able to sustain your business or the drive sales in your business.

Your website, is that place.

I don’t care how many people tell you that you don’t have to have a website to grow a business.  If you go look at their business, and it is sustaining them, you will find something outside of social media.  They either have a website, a landing page, or something that has a .com attached to it, where they can send you for information.  This is how business works.  You either have to have a primary physical location or you have a primary online location.

Here’s a word of caution and a reminder.  Don’t put all of your business eggs in one basket of social media.  Platforms change!  They evolve and some disappear.  Remember Myspace?!  It was here one day and literally gone the next.  I have friends that were building their businesses on that platform and when it went away, they had to figure out how to start building again.  Not only that, but they lost many of their connections.

We are going to talk about this later on, in another post, but what would happen if Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter disappeared?  Would your business fall apart?  How would you connect with all of those people that you were sharing with before?  Not only that, but what about all of your content?  You know, the posts that you share?  Where would all of that go?

It’s not just about the stability of the platform.  You must realize that it takes one time for you to break a rule and then your account could be suspended, banned, or deleted.  I hate to say it, but look at the former president.  Trump was kicked off of multiple platforms.  As a strategy and tech coach, I looked over at my husband and said, “this is why I have a website.”  Whether we agree or disagree with him or not, what happened to him should be a learning experience.  Not only was he kicked off of every platform, but then the company that hosted his “social media” was kicked off of their own server.

When you own your website and you are sharing your own message, as long as you aren’t breaking any laws, the company that you pay has a responsibility to you.  They have to continue to provide you with a home on the internet.

I get it! You feel like it will never come to that, but when we get into your social media, you will see that things as simple as posting too many times in a hour, following too many people, or even using the wrong words can get you banned on social media.

The first element in your system of getting paid, is your website.

What should my website include

I know what you are thinking.  You’re like “Makeda, this is a lot to take in.  What should be included on my website?”  Well I’m glad that you asked.  I’m going to share that with you here.

Every business is different, therefore every website is going to be different, but there are specific elements that should be included on each website.  If you’ve heard me speak on this topic, then you’ve heard me say that there should be both static and moving parts to your website.

You should have the static parts that inform and connect your audience with you.  These things don’t change often in your business, so they shouldn’t change often on your website.  They provide information about who you are, what you do, how you serve your clients, and when they are ready, how to buy.  Then you need the moving parts.  They are the components that keep your audience updated, informed, and excited about working with you.

Let’s take a quick look at what that should look like.

1. Your Home Page.  It is the introduction to your company.  This is the face of your business.  What is the first thing that you want someone to see when they get to your website.  It is the equivalent to your curb appeal. When they pull up to your house, they need to decide if they are going to stay.  This is their first indicator of if they will like you or not.
2. Your About Page.  This is where you will share with you audience more about you.  You should be telling them more about your business, sharing the story, why you do what you do, and who you are.  Many business owners take this too far or not far enough.  Think of what you put on the walls of your house.  When your guests come in, they see your pictures, curtains, wall art, and paint on the walls.  This helps them to understand you.  They see the pictures of your family, the colors and structures that inspire you.  It allows them to determine if they want to connect with you further.
3. Your Contact Page. This will tell your audience how they can connect with you if they have questions.  It gives them permission to reach out to you, and you want to tell them how.  This is important because people need to know that it is alright to speak with you, but they also need to know how you want to be contacted. This is like your sitting room or entry way.  You are speaking with them and letting them know that they are welcome in your space.  They can chat with you, ask you questions, and continue to connect with you.
4. Your Blog.  Many people run from this, but don’t.  It is a key component to your website and your platform.  It is how you converse with your audience.  This is where you share your thoughts, insights, products, upcoming activities, and projects.  They learn more about you, connect with you, see you as an expert in your field, and even begin to trust you, as you use this element of your website.  There is so much more that it does, like bring in traffic from google, serve as a reference to your work, and provide you with a syndicated avenue of communication, but we’ll talk about that later. Your blog is your living room or your counter top.  It is where people go before they are invited to sit at you table.  This is the place where they really listen to you and can even join in the conversation.
5. You Services or Products Page.  There should be a place on your website that serves to tell you customers what you offer and how they can make a purchase, when they are ready.  You don’t want to leave them wondering about this.  By the time that they have gotten to this point, if you have done your job of fixing your home well, they are ready to buy.  This is your dining room table.  This is where you take your guests when they are ready to have more from you.  You have poured yourself into building your business, but this is where you show them what is on the menu and they can choose to sit and eat or not.

I hope that you can now see how important your website is to your business.  There is a lot more that I want to share with you about it, but I want you to first see its importance and how it works for you.  It is your online business card, but when we get into how it works, it is essentially, you home online.

What do I do next?

There are a lot of things that you can do from here.  You could go sit down and feel overwhelmed, but I want you to gather yourself.  The first thing to do is to look at what you have.  It’s time to do an evaluation. Use this post as a place to start.

Ask yourself the following questions.

Do you have a website?  If you do, then you need to look at how you are using it.  Go back through this post and ask yourself if your social media is your home online or if it is your website.

Next, you need to check the elements of your website to see if you have included the ones that I have discussed here.  Start making tweaks to that can bring your website to a place where you are able to utilize it to help you to be profitable in your business.  If you need help with this, reach out to see how I can help you.  If you are serious about building a business that pays, you can schedule a discovery call to be more specific about your needs.

If you don’t have a website and you are in need of some assistance, start by giving yourself a specific budget to invest in your business.  Ask yourself, what purpose it will serve in your business and then sign up for my Website Building Course. There are a lot of things that you can do to establish your website, but in my course, I show you how to build it out in a way that is easy to follow.  I literally walk you though the steps of building the site, from scratch.

Now it’s time for you to take action.  I’ve given you a lot of information and you now have to decide what you are going to do with it.  Don’t hesitate.  Decide what you are going to do and do it!