Since I have been self-employed for a long time... and a writer for a long time... I often get asked if there's a particular secret or formula for success.
Truth is: Not that I have found.
That said, the two factors that come to mind every time I am asked are "consistency" and "perseverance."
"Consistency," or People Like to Know What They are Going to Get From You!
With both my eBay businesses-- and most of my writing-- I originally chose specific areas, and then relentlessly stuck to them. Over the years, I've watched others come and go in my niche areas... and the emphasis is more often than not on "go."
Sunset over the Olympic Peninsula, WA
People start off with great plans and intentions... but then tend to lose their direction when things don't happen as fast as they feel they should.
When I started my blog on Sensory-Processing Sensitivity in 2002, I had zero readership, even as a somewhat "known" writer on the topic. It took me another six years before I published a post that got 1000 page views! On that same time, I watched several of my colleagues run through a variety of topics and formats before eventually quitting altogether.
These days, it's not unheard of that a new post to that same blog, with that same core topic, would be read 10,000-15,000 times within a month.
All the time, I have stayed on-track, on-topic.
With my eBay shops-- as examples of businesses that involve selling "things,"-- I have succeeded by catering to very narrow niches, but doing them extremely well.
"Perseverance;" or You Can Outlast Your Competition to Success!
Summer sunset
In observing-- and often writing about-- people pursuing some form of self-employment, one of the things I have noticed is that more people fail as a result of "quitting too soon" as opposed to failing simply because their idea was no good.
Naturally, we tend to believe we have "great ideas," so we want them to succeed. And it's easy to get disheartened if success isn't immediately forthcoming.
We can even apply that here on Steemit... people arrive here, full of enthusiasm and start blogging. And then quickly grow distressed because they are not immediately seeing the cash flow in.
Often, this is how we end up with "cheating" and people trying to create magical "systems" to replicate what other people worked to achieve for months or years.
Which brings us right back to where I started... no, there is no "magic pill" I have discovered.
What do YOU think? Are you self-employed? Have you found any "secrets" or "magic formulas" that lead to success? What have you found to be the most reliable path to success? Do you think consistency and perseverance are important traits? Leave a comment-- share your experiences and feedback-- be part of the conversation!
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Published 20170726 16:14 PDT