Make Money From Your Site…not someone else’s

Should you sell your products and services on someone else site?
Less than a year ago, I would have told you, yes, but now I’m thinking the smartest entrepreneur puts their wares on their own site first, builds up traffic, grows the mailing list and then and only then, thinks about other people’s sites.
Take e-books for example. Five years ago, I would never have thought about trying to sell any of my books on my own writing site. Okay, call me a lazy writer, but online stores like Amazon were bringing me in sales so I didn’t see the point of spending more time building a store. Even some publishers stopped selling books from their sites because it just wasn’t worth it. Fast forward, and now it seems like everyone’s not only a writer but a publisher too. Online stores have become crowded platforms and intermingled among my list of books under my name, are a ton of other ones whose authors have paid to advertise and compete with me.
While I won’t ever take my books down from these sites, I am looking at a new strategy. Every entrepreneur needs to watch for shifts in the marketplace and act accordingly. My action is to start putting my books on my site, and giving them some additional content that I’m not allowed to do on store sites, such audio and video, and then promote them as such.
Something else that recently happened that made me think about doing the same with the classes I teach. One of the platforms I’ve been teaching on, suddenly, without warning, removed some of them leaving me with only half the classes I’d worked hard to produce, and yes, a drop in income too.
And what happens if a site that you’re using as your store front or hosting your coaching business or whatever, suddenly goes out of business?
I always say never put all your eggs in one basket when it comes to making money and the same goes for where and how you reach your audience. I have known some people suddenly have no store, no way to communicate with their buyers, and it’s almost like they have to start all over again.
Bottom line, especially in this competitive online world and platforms that are here today gone tomorrow, build your own site first, build it up, get followers, get loyal buyers, then think about how you can expand your line to someone else’s. business.
(Added plus is not having to give commission to anyone else).
Talk again soon and remember to live the life you love.
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