My Coffee Home Business

How I Built My Online Business
for Espresso Machines

As I worked to build my online espresso machine business toward my goals, there were a lot of obstacles in the way. Here are some of the roadblocks I faced, and how I worked to overcome them, one by one!

I suppose you could say that I came into my career epiphany fairly early. It was about the time when I turned 22 that I realized a traditional business role, for myself at least, was not going to work with the goals I had for my life. I needed something that would enable me to develop a passive income that I could use to establish financial security -- which would eventually help to support a family, become a homeowner, and be able to spend quality time with any future children. Going to work from nine to five everyday simply didn't leave room for that kind of dream to become a reality -- and so I decided to change it.

For the next two years, I focused on developing a passive income that would allow me to achieve my goals, even though I knew that it would be a complicated process. First, I spent time researching what would be the best way to utilize my talents and passions on a daily basis -- and get paid for it! After careful consideration of the options, I decided to start an online business with my life partner in an area that we both felt passionate about: espresso machines! My hope was that I could build this business to the point that it could replace my work income and allow me to do all my work at home, or anywhere else on the planet that I could find a computer.

Now 24 years old and with some experience behind me, I'm confident that I am on the path to establishing a full-time income through my own online business -- and I still love what I’m doing! However, it hasn't been an easy road, and while I've learned that all obstacles can be overcome, it's also true that there are days when some obstacles simply seem far greater than they really are. How did I make it through these times? A little bit of perseverance, and a whole lot of humility is what makes the difference. Here are a few methods I used to overcome those insurmountable obstacles along the way!

Find a Good Mentor

Naturally, obstacle #1 was: where do I possibly start? I knew that I needed someone to learn from, but how was I going to find that person? I looked into relevant home-study courses, and picked one with strong support from an excellent mentor. With the mentor's help, I was able to choose the topic of espresso machines and begin building web pages from the ground up. I made pages on everything from stovetop espresso makers, to automatic and super automatic machines, to commercial espresso machines!

With my mentor's help, I was also able to learn how to put an effective website together -- something that looked professional and ensured respectability -- and how to develop and nurture relationships with other merchants. Then, when my mentor and I had come to the point where I had learned all he could teach me, I realized that I wasn't finished yet -- I still couldn’t do this on my own. Instead, I found a second mentor who taught me how to effectively promote our espresso machine website.

Make a Plan and Stick to It!

With your own business, it's so easy to procrastinate on things and think -- oh, they'll get done eventually! But in order to reap the rewards of your work, you have to actually do just that -- work. This was my biggest challenge. I needed to develop a strict habit of working on the business by planning out exactly what I had to do in the short and long term, setting goals for when each task would be done, and then actually going out and doing it.

My secret for overcoming this hurdle every day is that I have a little notebook attached right to my refrigerator, and anytime during the day that I think of something I have to do, I write it down. This way my mind is freed from dwelling on the task, but I have a tangible reminder to get it done. Then, each week, I sit down and plan out my schedule with the notebook in hand! From the list I've written, I choose which items need to be done right away that week, and which ones can wait.

Prioritizing each 'to-do' item according to length of task and creating a deadline for each one creates a sense of obligation to actually complete the task. For myself, I find that planning out each week this way actually helps me to miraculously find extra hours in each day -- simply because I didn’t waste time puttering around and trying to decide what to do!

Organize Yourself -- Create a System

Every business, regardless of what it does or who runs it, always has tasks that require completing over and over again -- sometimes each week, sometimes each month, or even each year. In our online espresso machine business, we have been able to increase our efficiency and decrease the amount of stress by creating a strict 'work order' for every repetitive task that arises.

For example, every second month, we create a press release that is relevant to the espresso business, and distribute it online. Since we knew that we wanted to do this regularly, we took a little more time than usual on the first press release by building a template -- something set up in a ‘fill-in-the-blanks’ format -- and a checklist that helps to quickly and efficiently proofread each press release before it’s submitted. This system makes an otherwise boring and repetitive task far easier to accomplish, and something that we don’t really mind doing since we know it can be done quickly!

Ask for Help -- Outsource!

During the two years that I dedicated to developing a passive income, there was more than one occasion where I simply felt too overwhelmed to continue. There was too much to do, too many steps to get where I needed to be, and it seemed that nothing would ever get accomplished -- and to be perfectly honest, I still feel like that sometimes. However, I've since learned that this feeling is normal and can be overcome! The best advice I ever received from my mentors was this: when you begin to feel overwhelmed and like everything is about to collapse -- outsource.

Outsourcing is an incredible stress reliever and a fantastic way to build relationships. For example, if I find myself getting stuck while trying to write an article for my website about the proper steps for espresso machine maintenance, I don't waste time by sitting around feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. Instead, I take proactive steps to hire the article out to a professional writer, and kiss my stress goodbye.

Don’t get me wrong -- I'm not saying you shouldn't work hard! What I am saying is that you should work hard and smarter. Keep yourself disciplined, and don't waste precious time on something that another person can do better and who will be happy to do it for you! Then, before you know it -- you'll be well on your way to making those dreams a reality.

Andréanne Hamel is a successful business owner and espresso lover who is happy to share her experience of being an online affiliate marketer. Her many articles offer valuable business and/or espresso insight, from how to make stove top cappuccino all the way to espresso machine reviews, in a fun and entertaining way.

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