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The Importance Of Reaching Out To People As An Online Entrepreneur

by | Nov 15, 2013 | Articles, Design, Freelancing | 0 comments

The Importance Of Reaching Out To People

The Importance of Reaching Out

 

For a long time now I’ve worked as an internet entrepreneur, shutting myself away in coffee shops to write content for websites and occasionally doing some programming to sell an app or two. I love this lifestyle and the freedom that I get from being able to define my own working hours and choose where work as well.

Comfort is Dangerous

But there is a danger to having such a cushy lifestyle, which is that I risk becoming somewhat isolated. I’m able to work by writing articles for a number of clients and selling apps, so why would I bother to try and expand my business or do anything different? By working ‘for’ my business instead of working ‘on’ my business, and by failing to look beyond my comfort zone, do I risk missing out on some large opportunities?

Reaching Out

Recently I decided to try and break this habit and so I decided to reach out to someone on YouTube to see if they wanted to start a potential partnership. This guy had hundreds of thousands of subscribers who would all tune in to see him talk about technology and specifically Android. Those subscribers would often praise his videos and his sense of style in the comments section. So, I saw an opportunity: if this guy developed an app and then marketed to his viewers, he would most likely get thousands of downloads and make a fortune in no time at all.

Thus I contacted him a few weeks ago and asked if he wanted me to develop an app for him and then split the profits 50/50. He agreed, we launched shortly after and since then I’ve had a huge boost to my income and visibility. All because I decided to reach out and work with someone else so that we could benefit from one another.

This is a formula that other online entrepreneurs can follow precisely, no matter what your skills are. If you make websites, then why not contact someone prominent on YouTube or social media. Then, offer to build them one for a fee? Or in exchange for a cut of their profits?

Other Reasons to Pick Up the Phone

Since that success though I’ve also been reaching out in lots of other ways – even picking up the phone from time to time to chase down potential partners and opportunities.

Ad Revenue

Putting advertising on your site for instance is something you can do to raise money as a blogger, but you shouldn’t just settle with Google AdSense. You can also make money by using other ad networks who might pay more, or by working directly or indirectly with companies that might be willing to pay for space. If you have a YouTube channel or a popular social media account then you can alternatively get paid for a sponsorship deal, or even for a testimonial. But why wait to be contacted when you could reach out to them instead and pick and choose the people you want to work with?

Cross-Promotion

For bloggers, working with other bloggers is also a good strategy. This could mean just doing a guest post for each other to try and share some of your readers. It could also mean launching a joint competition, which is a great way for both of you to gain some exposure and some interest.

Diversify Your Growth

Of course if you provide a service, chasing down new clients is also something that’s always worth doing. The more you spread your work, the more resilient your business will be to potential changes. You should never have all your eggs in one basket…

In short then, if you are currently just working in an isolated bubble and making money from AdSense or from a few set clients then you’ll find that your work is predictably safe, but also that you don’t provide yourself with much opportunity for growth or development. Don’t wait for opportunities to come to you, seek them out yourself. Picking up the phone and putting in a little time now could help you to increase your profits considerably in the future…

John Bailey, the author of this article, works at Adslot, a website monetization company. John is passionate about woodworking and practices making his own furniture on weekends.

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