One of my mottoes has always been:
“You are never too old”
Sure, I may be 43 years of age as I write this, so if you are a few years my senior, you might think I have absolutely no idea. I also understand there may be some things that are way too physical to be learning after a certain age, but online marketing is no different to learning anything else that requires you to sit, read, research and type.
Online marketing involves a lot of sitting, reading, researching and typing
The concerns you may have about learning and running your own online business are common amongst all ages. These concerns include:
- fear of learning new technology
- the amount of time it will take for you to learn online marketing
- how much money you’d need to invest in your online business
- the risks involved
I’d like to help you eliminate these fears, and then, point out the advantages you have as a mature aged person when it comes to running your successful online business.
First of all, let’s discuss technology…
Don’t Let Technology Scare You?
Unfortunately, the technology side of things can scare many over 50’s away from starting their own successful online marketing business, and many believe the “digital stuff” should be left to the younger generation who have been brought up on it.
At the end of the day, you just need to be open enough to experiment with it, and, being open to giving new technology a go has no age barrier. Just think of it as learning anything else that interests you.
Yes, it can be overwhelming at times, in fact, I’ve felt overwhelmed myself, but if you simply slow down and take things one step at a time you’ll get there.
- Do you have kids and grandkids? Why not take advantage of them. Ask them to show you the way. I’m sure they’d be more than happy to help.
- Do you use Facebook to stay connected with your family? If so, you have an added advantage already.
From personal experience, the biggest challenge of learning online marketing is not putting what I’ve learned into practice, but, just taking the time to sit down and learn it (remembering I am 43). I know this is a challenge for anyone, no matter what their age. If you have the time to learn, you’re halfway there.
As far as internet and computer skills go, the pre-requisites of learning online marketing with SFM are:
Know how to:
- send an email
- cut and paste
- use Google or YouTube (to search for information and other content)
You can find out how to do these things on my blog: The Three Essential Computer Skills you Need Right Now To Start Your Online Marketing Business.
Concerned You Might Take Too Long To Learn Online Marketing?
I will start by saying;
“Better to take 2 – 3 years to build your successful online marketing business from scratch than to not do anything at all and be reliant on either the pension or your superannuation fund”.
No matter what age you are, if you are open, and have no diagnosed mental issues or learning disorders, then you can learn anything a young person can. Sure, it might take a bit longer, but big deal. As they say, patience is a virtue, and if anyone has patience, it’s the mature people of our society.
Worried About The Amount Of Money You Can Invest?
Online marketing does require a financial investment. There’s the cost of online marketing training courses, the digital “tools of the trade”, and other resources. If you can not afford to invest at least $150 – $200 per month on your business, then online marketing may not be for you. If you are struggling to make ends meet then it’s definitely not for you.
As with any other business, online marketing does require a financial investment, however, it is a lot cheaper than starting up your typical traditional business.
What about the risks?
You know what they say, “The only thing you can guarantee in life is paying taxes and death”
As with any other business, there are no guarantees, and the fact of the matter is it will depend on the time and effort you put in. May I add, there’s no better person to take a risk on than yourself.
O.K What About The Advantages You Have Over The Younger Person!
With age comes life experience, the life experience you can draw on to run your business.
Online marketing takes:
- patience
- ability to meet a deadline
- problem-solving
- management of a budget
- ability to be productive
- good communication skills
- time management
- ability to take consistent action
- strong work ethic
- time
How many so-called young people have all of the above-mentioned necessities for running an online marketing business in this day and age? No offense to young people of course, but there aren’t too many.
You gotta give yourself credit where credit is due. I know the above-mentioned list earns you major credit.
Want to know the number one reason young people give up on their online business venture? Impatience. They give up after a few months because they haven’t achieved the instant results they thought they would, so they decide to move on to the next venture. With all these young people quitting, you have an even better chance of achieving success with your business.
Final Words:
I say if anyone can make a successful online business, it’s the more mature adult!! In fact, I believe age is a major advantage.
Your mindset is important. There’s a saying that goes, “what you believe, you will achieve”. If you keep telling yourself you are too old then, sure enough, you will be.
Remember, so long as you have no issues with learning, you have some cash to invest in your business, and you believe you have the qualities it takes, (mentioned in the list above – such as patience and the ability to apply consistent action), then there is absolutely no reason why you could not become a successful online marketer.