I am going to write something that may not be popular, but if it offends you in anyway, it probably means that I'm writing this for you. I'm writing this to help you...not to criticize or belittle you. I want every entrepreneur to continue to grow throughout his online career and sometimes when we don't accept change...we stop growing. I don't want that to happen to you.
Lately, I've seen a lot of online service-based business complain that cheaper alternatives are driving them out of business. I've seen virtual assistants angry that anyone would work for US $10 per hour. I'm surprised by that anger because $10 is above the minimum wage in every single state in the U.S. and province in Canada (2005 statistics). Yes, I know running a VA business carries expenses, but many people working online just want enough to be able to stay home, instead of trudging to a crappy job. Good for them for being resourceful.
I've seen article writers and article distribution services annoyed that new software and automated process are cutting into their bottom line and causing them to lose clients. It seems the hay days of getting paid $100 plus per article are gone...or are they?
If you're letting your business die because lower cost services are coming in - it's time for a wake up call. Complaining isn't going to get you anywhere, except possibly bankruptcy. As more and more people come to work online, there's going to be a lot of people working for what you think is chump change. As programmers get more creative with technology, more processes will become automated.
A smart business person will make competition irrelevant...or as irrelevant as is humanly possible. If you are trying to get your typical "Internet marketer on a budget" to hire you for $25 per hour to answer his emails...you probably will lose out to the moms who just want to earn an hourly wage to stay home with their kids. But if you set yourself apart and target a market that doesn't want to nickel and dime and perceives more expensive services as more professional --- your client list will grow. If you have satisfied clients paying $25 per hour, they can always refer more clients who will pay $25 per hour.
If you're a writer and you think it's fair to charge $100 to write an article (and honestly...well written articles ARE that valuable), realize how much money you could be making by writing articles for your own use. Plus, you don't have the headache of dealing with clients.
This is the realization I had to come to in 2003. I was a copywriter for hire. I didn't charge top dollar (and a few copywriters complained to me about that)...but I wasn't at the bottom of the heap, as far as rates went. I thought if somebody would pay me $75 to optimize one website page for them...why was I wasting my time letting them earn the residual income from it? If someone would pay me $150 to write a short page of sales copy...just how much money were they earning from it to make it worth their while?
After thinking about that, I decided to quit taking clients and focus my efforts on using my own writing skills to earn me residual and passive income. Now, I make about 5 times much as I did back then and I work a lot less. Best of all, I have no clients do deal with. You see, when hire yourself out for pay...you have to keep working to earn that pay and it can be a real drain on your time and energy.
If you've been complaining about external changes affecting your business, really think about how you can change your own approach to make it work for you. Every business has to evolve to keep up with changing times. After all, McDonald's did once say they'd never offer a veggie burger.
About the Author
Alice Seba is a full-time online business owner that thrives on helping others say good-bye to their J-O-Bs forever. Sign up for her "Internet Marketing Prescriptions" to cure what ails your online business: http://www.AliceSeba.com
