Step By Step Into Self-Employment on The Net - Series of Articles

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Step By Step Into Self-Employment on The Net - Series of Articles - For a long time, I have planned to start a series of articles on the path to self-employment.

Starting a business is not difficult and yet many people shy away from starting a business.

In this series of articles, I would like to guide you step by step through the individual phases of starting a business and incorporate my own experiences and many tips.

Readers should be able to use the series as a timetable to venture into their independence.

The first part today is about the content of the article series and what you will find in it and whatnot.

Step By Step Towards Self-Employment on The Internet

Step By Step Into Self-Employment on The Net - Series of Articles

This series of articles on the path to self-employment has already grown enormously during the structuring process.

Since my first article on this, I have planned the series and also incorporated the many user comments and of course my ideas.

And so a very extensive table of contents was created, which I will present below.

Before doing this, I would like to point out that this series of articles will be extensive, but will by no means cover every possible case of self-employment. Instead, I concentrate on being self-employed on the Internet.

This is mainly since I have gained my experience in precisely this area. Of course, I will also look at alternatives in certain topics. For example, I will present the various possible legal forms that are available when starting a business.

But the common thread of this series of articles will be to explain how you can and should start your own business online.

Table of Contents of The Article Series

In addition to my ideas, I also used the wishes of my readers and external sources to create a table of contents. Finally, I do not want to forget any important point.

The result is the following 20 parts of this series of articles:

Eligibility and Requirements
The first part of the series is about the questions of whether you are even suitable for self-employment, which false expectations you have to put down, and which prerequisites are necessary to become successfully self-employed. Among other things, there is a checklist.
Idea and Analysis
The right idea is an important basis for later success. In the second part, I, therefore, deal with the generation and evaluation of ideas and I also deal with the business model. Because the best idea is of no use if it is not profitable. Furthermore, it is also about the analysis of the current situation.
Planning, Goals, and The Business Plan
Now it becomes concrete. We define goals and create concrete plans. The question of when a business plan is necessary and what general sense it makes is also dealt with. Of course, there are also tips for implementing a business plan.
Business Start-Up as ...
In part 4a I want to go into the differences between the two who become self-employed as a pupil, student, or while unemployed.
Part 4b deals with the topic of part-time business start-ups.
The Right Legal Form
The title says it all. I present possible legal forms, show differences, and give tips on choosing.
Company Name
Before you register your business, the question of the company name must be clarified. And that is an important question. The choice of a company name depends, among other things, on the legal form and your own goals. Not to forget the subject of domain registration.
Business Registration
Now it goes to the bureaucratic part. But it's not that wild for self-employed people online. I write about the business registration and everything related to it.
Business Papers
Even as a self-employed person on the Internet, you will use your business documents to a greater or lesser extent. And be it just for billing or the business card at the next networking party.
Business Premises and Technology
An important issue is of course where you will be working. There are tips, legal aspects, and the idea of alternatives.
Taxes
I have heavily outsourced this area, but of course, I dedicate myself to the topic here in detail. After all, problems in this area can be life-threatening. In addition, I have gained a lot of experience in the last 5 years and that is also incorporated.
Finance and Funding
The self-employed need to have their finances under control. And so part 11a is about liquidity and financial tips. Part 11b deals with the topic of subsidies, which is an essential prerequisite for many start-ups to get started.
Insurance
Which insurances are useful or even necessary for the self-employed?
Costs
Of course, I dedicate myself to the topic of costs as early as the business plan. I would like to go into this again separately here, however, as this is a point that many start-ups still consider when setting up, but then neglect when self-employed.
Prices and Offer
Price calculation, hourly rates, range planning, and the subsequent adjustment of all these points are the subject of the 14th part of the series.
Marketing
Which advertising makes sense, how you can find your first customers and why it doesn't work without marketing.
In addition, I will briefly devote myself to the topic of “associations” and what role they can play in marketing.
Contracts and Law
Part 16 deals with the subject of law. I'm not a lawyer, but I give tips from my experience, link resources, and present legal pitfalls for the self-employed.
This is Where Self-Employed People Fail
Here is a collection of causes for self-employed failure. So that you can recognize your own mistakes at an early stage.
Success Factors For The Self-Employed
In line with the previous part, there is of course a list of success factors that help you to be successful in the long term.
After Starting a Business
To conclude the series of articles, I would like to take a look ahead. How do you deal with the time after the start-up phase, what mistakes are often made, and what personal experiences I was able to gain.
Summary and Other Sources
At the very end, there is a summary and a list of further sources.

The reasons for so many parts are very simple.

For one thing, I didn't want to put 3,000 or more words in one article when I am summarizing several important topics. The strong division into individual sub-topics simply ensures that I can get the individual parts ready faster and thus regularly get to continue the series.

In addition, it certainly makes more sense for the reader to get detailed information on a topic for each article. If someone is looking for information on insurance for the self-employed, then they shouldn't have to fight their way through 5 other topics.

And of course, it also helps with search engine optimization if each article deals with a specific topic.

However, the structure listed above is by no means set in stone. If I have forgotten something and/or you have specific requests for further topics, then I will be happy to adapt the table of contents.

What's Not in It?

If I were to write down everything there is to say about self-employment and starting a business, then I would rather publish a book right away. It should therefore be clear that I cannot deal with every little special case.

In addition, there are a few main topics that I will address in the series of articles, but which in themselves would go beyond the scope. Therefore there will be or already exist extra articles (series) on the following topics:
Customer acquisition, online marketing, company website, employees, pricing, and one or the other more.

In the article series, I will of course also point out again if I want to go into more detail on a topic in separate articles. And if there are already articles on this, I will of course also link them.

Of course, I will also change or expand articles afterward if important things are mentioned incorrectly or not at all.

My Start-Up Experiences

My own experiences with starting a business are now a few years ago.

In 2005 things got serious because my employer at the time (or our parent company) was bought up by a corporation. I had been dealing with the subject of self-employment for a long time, but you don't just leave the warm nest and fly out into the cold. :-)

In mid-2005, I was given full pay until the end of February 2006. During this time I was of course able to prepare for my self-employment as a web developer very well. But then I wasn't as disciplined as I am now, so of course, there were days when I didn't do a lot to prepare for my independence.

All in all, of course, it was a luxury situation. I was able to concentrate fully on my future independence, optimize my own CMS, create my company website, make initial customer contacts and implement one or the other reference website.

Nowadays I would probably use the time even more intensively, do a few things differently, and, above all, already set up my projects. But I'm still quite happy with the time.

On April 1st, 2006 I started my own business. Before that, I had completed a 3-day crash course on “self-employment”. Of course, I knew a lot from my studies and I had also dealt intensively with literature on the subject. But this course also made further customer contacts.

After the formalities were done, everyday life came. Of course, I haven't had many customers yet and tried a lot to gain new ones. Some things worked well, others were just expensive experiences.

Over time, it turned out that my website and word of mouth were my best marketing tools. But it was still a long time before I could live on my income. It's good that I received a grant and also had savings.

For the first 2 years, I worked around the clock. After all, I didn't just want to do the day-to-day business, which was slowly but steadily improving. I wanted to build something up for the long term. And so I had to work not only for “today”, but also for “tomorrow”. And that was quite exhausting. But I now have several pillars and can live very well from my independence.

This is how, among other things, “Self-employed in the network” was created. At the time, it helped me a lot to talk and exchange ideas with other start-ups. I wanted to achieve that with an online platform especially for the self-employed.

In addition, when I was founded, I had a lot of positive and negative experiences with insurance, contracts, finances, subsidies, taxes, price calculation, etc., which I will process in the series of articles.

I also realize that a lot of things have changed since I was founded. For example, there are different grants today than back then. But the basics have stayed the same. And today I know much more precisely what matters.

And even if you can't spare a self-employed person from having a lot of stress the first time, I would like to answer a lot of open questions with this series and point out pitfalls. In the end, you will become self-employed a little faster and with fewer problems.

It has always helped me a lot to deal with worries and fears by dealing intensively with the topic/problem. Then you noticed that none of this is so bad.

Your Feedback

This series of articles is not for me, it's for you guys. Therefore, I am happy to receive any feedback as long as it is constructive. So if you have any wishes or questions, just let us know.

Just Copy It?

One more note before the series starts. No two self-employment are the same. In this series of articles, I will of course also talk a lot about my own experiences and present things that have worked for me.

Nevertheless, it will not be a step-by-step guide that you can simply imitate without thinking.

Instead, the articles should help you think about it yourself and make the right decisions for your situation.

Without getting too close to employees. But you can afford to sometimes just switch off your brain and do what the boss says. As a self-employed person, you have to think and make decisions yourself.

But there we are almost back to the first part of the article series and the characteristics of the self-employed. I don't want to anticipate that. :-)

So It Goes on

The first part of the article series is about suitability as a self-employed person. What can you expect from self-employment and are you ready for it yourself?
In addition, I look at other important requirements and also present a checklist including further links.

Until next week.

HANIFMR.COM