Anyone’s Opportunity

When I first sought to join the ranks of the work at home dads, I envisioned taking my career experience and fashioning it into some type of business.

I knew quite a bit about running a business because I was raised in that type of environment. Although several members of my family owned businesses they didn’t work from home.

The further my investigation went, the more opportunities I came across. What I finally discovered was that this wasn’t an exclusive opportunity to people with specific backgrounds or skill sets; this opportunity was for anyone, including dads.

Getting Started

After realizing that the internet was the only secure recession proof alternative to traditional business models, I jumped in. I was amazed at how many products and services were available online and it seemed like the competition was steep.

First exposures tend to be overwhelming and the barrage of new terms and techniques made it feel like taking a pilgrimage in a foreign country. I wrote down a few probing questions:

1.    How do I get recognized in here?
2.    How do I identify my competitors?
3.    Where should I start from?

Getting Help

Most successful business owners spend a great deal of time with consultants and experts who act as guides. Without a valuable source of continuous information (because the internet changes constantly) I’d still be staring into my computer monitor rather than working.

Even when my primary sources of information were free, they held value to me because my questions were becoming more exacting. The free information was at least enough to point me toward what I really needed to know in order to succeed.

Even now I appreciate webinars or videos that explain things, but well detailed e-books are much easier to follow as I apply specific techniques. My notes are slowly becoming the e-book I’ll prepare to help future work at home dads with this learning curve.

Staying On Track

Once I realized that in addition to my business, I had to brand myself, a certain amount of stress melted away. In regard to ‘Me Inc.’ I was my only competition. There were specific steps to take that would eventually give me a personal presence online.

As relationships began to develop, both to those I looked to as mentors, and those who eventually looked to me as a mentor, something very familiar emerged. The process of applying a specific system or plan was slowly building experience.

The cycle from new guy to experienced guy took place in every work environment I’ve ever known. The new guy had to learn before they could perform any tasks. As they gained experience, they became responsible for teaching the next new guy.

Suddenly it occurred to me that I was actually in control of when to take on a new skill or develop a new technique. As I continued to develop my understanding of the online environment that momentum increased my confidence. I had become a leader.

The Outcome

Now that I’ve branded myself, it isn’t simply my product or service that is of value to my customer base. I’m valuable as well.

With thousands of work at home dads entering this arena around the world daily, it is both exciting and rewarding to have an opportunity to make a difference in their lives.

Becoming an entrepreneur was as natural an experience as becoming a leader. I became an entrepreneur after choosing which online business opportunity looked best. I became a leader every time I learned something well enough to teach others.