“If nothing changes, nothing changes”
I hope you are working toward the life you want. If you’re following our advice on starting or running an online business, you’ve probably had a few bumps along the road already.
This is a journey that takes more than just good intentions—it takes time, money, the right strategies and a little bit of trial and error to get results.
Here are three pieces of advice I wish I had when we started back in 2019 to help you build momentum.
1. Treat Your Time Like Your Money
I think a hangover from being an employee is that money is hard to come by and your time is cheap. Therefore most people’s instinct is to throw time at a business and hope it works out.
Your time is your most valuable asset. Every week, think about how you’re investing your time and how you can focus it on the activities that will get your business into profit so you can quit your job and have more time.
However, budget time for you and your family as well. and make sure you invest it well where they have your full attention. Beware the grey zone.
Top Tip: Budget a sustainable amount of time and money you can give your business every week for the foreseeable future. It doesn’t have to be much but, if you invest it well, results are inevitable. Money you can make back, time you cannot.
Our experience: I wasted time and money and missed out on family time because;
A: I could have had my business running quicker, quit my job and travelled sooner.
B: I wasted time and effort with unnecessary tasks in the business, time that could have been spent with the people I love.
2. Build a Business that Helps People Like You Achieve something you care about.
I’ve seen a lot of people waste time looking for a “guaranteed” business or product to sell. It’s such as small part of your business. Don’t worry about what you’re going to sell, worry about WHY people are coming to your business in the first place. What does the outcome look like?
TOP TIP: Create a business that helps people who are just like you—people who share your values, challenges, and goals— it’s easier to understand their needs and how to serve them effectively. You’ll know exactly what problems to solve and how to reach them in a way that resonates. Plus, your genuine connection to the mission will make your work more fulfilling.
My Experience: My mistake when I started was thinking “What’s the most valuable thing I have to offer?”. When Alittlemoreoutdoor.com was first published I was trying to sell my outdoor instructor expertise in risk assessment and session planning.
I learnt the hard way there is not a single person out there saying:
“If only I had a risk assessment, then I’d have more adventures with my kids”
People told me “Nick, I don’t need a risk assessment to spend time with my kids, I need more time and money”.
Now our business covers everything from how we earn, world education, tax advice, outdoor gear, and places to visit. The fundamental reason WHY people visit our site or read our emails is because they want the freedom to have adventures.
We’re not experts, We simply provide honest insight or suggest solutions to problems that occur or worked for as we pursued that outcome.
I believe alittlemoreoutdoor.com is valuable because this isn’t general advice about how to start a business or travel. It’s specific, real advice from a neurodivergent family who struggled with money and self-belief, who built a business around what they love that was in line with their values.
If you’re still reading this email there’s probably something in that that you resonate with.
3. Invest in Support
How do you invest your time well? The answer is “Get Help”, sooner rather than later. It took me two years of running into dead ends and making costly mistakes before investing in support. I told myself “I can do it on my own,” or “Once the business makes money I’ll reinvest in support”. Trying to figure everything out on your own feels like a way to save money, but it’s often more of a time drain that delays profit. The most common reason I see people fail with this isn’t because they’re not good enough, they just don’t know how to move forward. The right support will help you maintain momentum and make sure going in the direction you want.
TOP TIP: Invest in the best support you can afford— You’ve got to be realistic with your time and money budget but, whether it’s:
- a step-by-step curriculum,
- live group calls where you can ask questions and get feedback,
- or even better 1-1 coaching where you get exactly the help you need when you need it.
Experienced successful people can help bypass costly mistakes by discussing the right business for you, giving you a deeper understanding of how it works and getting it launched and marketed in the most efficient, effective and therefore profitable way. A much smarter use of both your time and money.
My experience: After two years of figuring things out by myself and having to use money from my job to keep my business and family afloat, I borrowed money over a long period so it could I could afford coaching with my tiny monthly budget.
It was terrifying, I was only paying back around £100 a month, but that was a lot when we were barely scraping by. However, with the right help, it only took me two months before the business was in profit of over that £100 repayment, as well as other expenses like websites and marketing costs.
Once I was in profit I could reinvest the profit into marketing and scale quickly. 4 months later I handed my notice in at work and a few months after that we began traveling. Had I got help sooner I would have had two more years with my family and two more years of memories.
Final Thoughts
“If nothing changes, nothing changes”
Building an online business is a marathon, not a sprint.
If you:
- Invest even a little of your time, money and energy each week.
- Focus your business on helping people.
- And get support if you need it!
You’ll soon start to see small changes that will lead to huge shifts. However, if you wait for something external to change you’ll find yourself stuck in the same old routine. It’s your life, and your business, it’s your responsibility to make it happen the way you want.
