For the last four years, I have had my head down learning everything I could about online business, from blogging, auto responders, guest writing, and building traffic. When I decided I wanted to build my own website the adventure began.
I have been a full time nurse for the last 25 years in a state funded mental hospital, running my business from home in the afternoon from the baseball field, laundry mat in hotels, sitting in my truck on my lunch break and many more spots.
When I decided I needed a website/blog I had no clue how to add links, images or even what a banner was for. I started learning anyway – without extra funds in the family budget I couldn’t pay someone to help me and I had to do learn. I worked for 6 months and had a page that sold products…and it was ugly!
Over time that has changed. I put myself around people who could help me and finally took the plunge to get a business coach to help me take the next small steps. A true online business is not an overnight success story. It comes with true blood, sweat and tears…well maybe not the blood but defiantly some tears and frustration.
I worked three nights a week 13 hour shifts on the night shift. I had a small son at home and a son who played travel baseball. Between lack of sleep and lack of time I could not sit in my office to run a business. The business had to go with me – it had to be mobile or it was not going to happen.
I had lots of time sitting at the ball park between games and sometimes four games a day. At the time, all I had was a Blackberry phone and I took notes and wrote blog post on my phone and emailed them to myself so I could finish when I got home.
I never dreamed that what I had started would grow like it has the last two years.
I applied everything I learned even when it didn’t make sense and I was seeing no results. I had every reason in the world to quit. There was something inside my gut that would not let me. I wrote two blog posts a week for months about my experience as a nurse and the people I had met and things I had seen in mental health.
The readers began signing into my newsletter that went out on Monday to get each post that I wrote. Then I began noticing people were retweeting and re-posting them. The products mentioned in my blog began to sell, as I taught how the essential oils worked for me and how I was using them at my work more and more. More people wanted the products for the same problem they had.
You see we are problem solvers not salesman – people have problems and they are looking for the answer. They don’t want to hear how amazing your product is compared to another company, they want to know how what you have can help them, then for you to tell them how they can get it.
So I did.
I use social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter (my favorites) and Google+, LinkedIn, and bookmarking sites to send my content out into the marketing world. I told my story – I told the products I used and how they could get it.
People were buying products that I have never talked too – they were signing up to get business kits for the essential oils without me calling and begging them to purchase. As a matter of fact – I have done 100% of business online without picking up the phone. I used the same method that I teach my team now to use.
The ones who sees results are the ones who are consistent – and stay at it.
I don’t think I am an expert – I just don’t give up I work when nothing is happening and when most people would throw in the towel. If something is not working I look for another way to present it. This week I had a giveaway if people signed for the essential oils kit – I gave instructions of what they had to do to get the free book – and as soon as they followed through with all the steps – I shipped the book. Eight people in 4 days bought a kit – I did not talk to the first person on the phone – just Facebook, other social media and my blog.
I had lots of steps to learn – I had to learn about marketing, PPC, auto responders, why I needed a weekly newsletter – how you talk to people online is a little different than in person. The #1 tip I give is – stop talking to people to make a sell. Solve their problem – make the conversation all about them – open your ears and listen. People tell you their problem without asking for it. Then tell them about your deal whatever it is that would make their life better. Stop pushing people or they will run; become the go to person and share with them what you have that will help them.
In the last year and a half I have spoken on stages to share my story, my blog literally is being read around the world, not only is my essential oil business growing – I am now mentoring a group of people who want to learn more about what I do in a private group. I have won awards, and receive a nice compensation each month that has tripled my 25 year nursing income from the comfort of the ball field or riding down the road as my husband drives. I don’t let time or place stop me – I take it on the road with me.
I wish for your biggest dreams to come true: don’t want for them, go find them. They already belong to you.
This article first appeared in the Winter 2014 issue of TILT Magazine ~ Therapeutic Innovations in Light of Technology.
Click here to read the entire PDF version of the Using the Internet to Build a Dream: From Burnt Out Psych Nurse to Thriving Wellness Coach article.
Angela Brooks is a former burnt-out mental health nurse who is now a nurse educator, thriving business owner, and online marketing trainer. She quickly learned how to take her business “on the move” so she could have more time enjoying her family using mobile marketing. www.angelabrook.com.
Access TILT Magazine archives: http://issuu.com/onlinetherapyinstitute/docs
