More answers to your business questions

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Candidate,

Damn, you have good questions about starting a business. Let me tackle a few more and give you my answers today.

(Reminder: Earnable, my program on how to start and grow a work-from-anywhere business, closes TONIGHT. Learn more here.)

"What's the most professional way to manage payments?"

I have a freelance writing business. What's the most professional way to manage payments from clients? PayPal? A credit card system? Check by mail?
–Debra B.

Just pick one!

When I helped my mom set up an Indian cooking class, we used Eventbrite. I have students who use PayPal. At IWT, with our scale, we use custom solutions.

This shouldn't be in the top 3, top 10, or even top 50 questions!! Part of running your own business is deciding what's important enough to agonize over...and what you should just be decisive about. (We teach this in Earnable.)

"I never have the guts to take 'the jump'"

I've followed you for a while now and even though your guidance and advice is inspiring and genuinely usable, I never have the guts to take "the jump". I always seem to ideate and never execute.
–Shreena C.

I love this focus on "the jump," the moment you decide to make a change!

If you think back to something you changed in your life — paying off debt, improving your health, deciding to switch jobs — there might be a "moment" where you decided to make a change.

What did you feel? Nervous? Excited? Unsure?

Close your eyes and connect with that feeling. When you do, you can understand what it's like for someone ELSE to have their own "moment" where they decide to engage with you and your business.

Like anyone, top performers get overwhelmed and stuck in analysis paralysis. When I was growing my business, I wasted time chasing weird tactics like sponsorships, ads, shiny tools. I got distracted by all the advice and options.

But you intuitively know what it feels like to make a change...because you've done it before. You don't need "guts" — you need to reconnect with what it felt like to make a change before, and ask yourself if you're ready to make another change now.

If you're ready to take the jump now, Earnable shows you the step-by-step process of starting and growing a profitable online business. A successful roadmap that can eliminate overwhelm and help you laser focus.

Learn more about Earnable

"Grow very large in one year's time?"

What kind of business can I start up with and grow very large in one year's time?
–Albert E.

Probably none.

By asking that question, you're signaling that you want get-rich-quick results. You should focus more on delivering massive value to your prospects & customers instead of your arbitrary time period.

Unfortunately, people who ask questions like this almost never change. Sorry, but that's the truth.

"How do you get over your fear of putting yourself out there?"

How do you get over your fear of putting yourself out there? I am so embarrassed about starting anything and having people know and talk about me. Any tips?
–Shterna W.

If you want to start a business, you can be anonymous. There are plenty of business owners who run an anonymous business or use a pen name. Many eventually de-anonymize down the road as they become more comfortable.

But of the people who ask me this question, 90% of them never go on to start anything. Their mental fear of "what will someone say?" holds them back from taking even a single step forward. (Do you want this to be you, Candidate?)

If you're struggling with this invisible script, try asking questions like "why is that?" and "why do I feel that way?" over and over again, until you discover what's really going on beneath the surface. If you're worried about the people around you finding out about your business, remember that most people aren't focused on you — they're busy living their own lives!

***

I hope this week has been helpful to you. And if you're thinking about how to earn more, be your own boss, and do what you love, check out my program Earnable. It closes tonight.

But I want to be clear about 3 things:

With all of the uncertainty around COVID-19, if you don't have solid emergency savings (I recommend 12 months), do not join. Cut expenses and build your savings net. I explain how to handle your money during a crisis like this here.
If you have credit card debt, don't join Earnable. This is a long-standing IWT policy that has cost me millions of dollars, but it's the right thing to do. Use this time to negotiate with your credit card companies, landlords, service providers, and more. Lots of IWT readers have already done this. You can do it, too.
Earnable takes work to grow your income. This is not a get-rich-quick scheme. Starting a business — even with a systematic program like Earnable, including word-for-word scripts, actual teardowns, monthly private events, and detailed playbooks — is still hard work. It still takes time. And the students who succeed don't set arbitrary deadlines. They give themselves the time to do it right. (You can meet some of them here.)

But if you're ready, the next step is to stop reading and start DOING. You have to DECIDE to bet on yourself. Other top performers, like CEOs and professional athletes, get trainers and coaches because they know the power of investing in themselves.

It's on you to take action.

I'm here to help, and I won't accept failure. I've been here, every week, since 2004, and I'm not going anywhere. I know you can live a Rich Life and I insist on showing you how it's possible. I've already helped millions do it. Now I want to help you.

Join Earnable today.

The program closes TONIGHT at 11:59pm Pacific.