We’ve all heard and seen the promises from “gurus” of earning many thousands of dollars a day/week/ month by simply following their system (and we’ve gotten those endless emails, too). We’ve all heard the stories that sound too good to be true. For every legitimate offer for help starting a business, there are dozens of sketchy, “black hat” shortcuts that promise overnight riches, but in reality, only deliver heartache and frustration.

One specific “business” model that comes to mind are MLMs or multi-level marketing which involves selling products to family and friends and recruiting other people to do the same. For some reason, nurses are notorious for getting involved with MLMs and trying to make the most amount of money in the shortest amount of time.

I hate to break it to you, but MLMs aren’t real businesses. If you’re involved in one you still have someone higher up (oftentimes called an “upline”) that depends on you selling products so you can make THEM money. Get rid of the upline and go into business for yourself. In order to do that you’ll need to ask yourself a few questions. Before we get into that let me give you my first piece of advice –  Filter out all the promises that sound too good to be true.

 

Now look at all the businesses that you admire and take note of how long they’ve been in business. Are they successful? Do you dream of reaching that level of success? Do you have the skills and determination to be that successful?

Of course, we also hear stories of businesses closing their doors; some after just a few years and others after much longer runs. The pandemic has caused a lot of businesses to close their doors. But if you spend time NOW mapping out your business idea and setting a firm foundation on which to grow, you’ll set yourself up for success instead of failure when starting your business.

Let’s explore just a few questions to get you thinking in the right direction:

1. Do you have a viable business idea? Basically, have you done your market research to determine if there’s a need for your services? If you have skills and natural talent, you can find your niche and be successful. Businesses based on trends or fad products have a harder time sustaining themselves because fads disappear and trends change, which can leave you out of business rather quickly.

2. Do you have start-up money saved up? Opening a service-based business is rather simple and doesn’t require much upfront investment, but you also need to think about the “big picture” or your long-term goals. Are you wanting to just work a side hustle or is your ultimate goal to leave nursing to run your business full-time? Will you need to buy equipment for your business? Do you plan to hire, work alone, or will you outsource tasks to independent contractors? Do you have all your business paperwork filed correctly?

3. Do you have a professional online presence? What does your website look like? If you haven’t started it yet, hooray! Hire a talented web designer who can add flair or purchase a website template from a designer so it doesn’t look like a DIY website. Look at all your social media profiles. Do they look similar, with a current headshot photo and brand colors? Do your posts talk about your business and field of expertise or are you chatting with your college buddies? Look objectively at your social media and do an overhaul so your posts and images all convey a professional, expert image.

4. Do you have a marketing plan? Yes, planning is a vital part of running a successful business. You shouldn’t look at your computer screen and wonder what to do next. You shouldn’t have to depend on the kindness of your friends and family to continuously send you business. YOU need a plan for finding potential customers and knowing what will attract them to you.

If you have the desire to succeed, you can certainly make it happen. Focus on creating a stable foundation for your business and continuously tweak your marketing plan to attract prospects.

Not a fan of business planning? My quick and easy planner is just what you need…

If you’re a nurse and keep thinking about starting your own business but don’t know where to start, my latest planner is just the tool you need. “Create Your Nurse Side Hustle in a Weekend” is designed to help you sort out what you want to do and discover if it’s a sustainable idea, all within one weekend. I’ll even walk you through how to plan prices, how to discover your Dream Client, and how to set up a marketing/social media plan you can use every day.

Get started on the right foot with some research and soul-searching exercises. 

If a side-hustle isn’t your goal and you want to start a full-fledged online business to get you out of your nursing position, check out Nurse Pivoter Academy™. Nurse Pivoter Academy™ is an exclusive business membership for nurses wanting to start, grow, and scale online businesses through coaching, courses, and community. With an ever-expanding resource library and frequently added workshops, you’ll have a firm understanding of the 6 pillars of business (mindset, sales, marketing, operations, systems, and finance) in order to succeed in business. 

Join Nurse Pivoter Academy™ and get access to planners like this one to help grow your business.