Are We Having Fun Yet?

by Judith Kallos

Published on this site: April 25th, 2005 - See more articles from this month...

You'd better be!

If you want your online business to survive and thrive, you need to be having fun! At least several times each week, potential clients call me for business ideas or suggestions for "things to sell" online. They don't have a business concept or a product they believe in. They are just looking for some way to jump on the online bandwagon and get their hands on the supposed riches everyone else is making.

When asked this question, I tell them my story about how I got into the whole Web/Internet thing in the first place. Back in early 1994 when most folks hadn't heard of "online" and there were things like IRC, bulletin boards and very slow modems, I got hooked on CompuServe.

I remember telling anyone who would listen how much fun it was to use (the speed of connectivity wasn't an issue back then) and how
I just knew that this technology would change business and our world forever. I got used to the "deer in the headlights" look that came over their faces.

Needless to say my family, friends and most of the folks on the block thought I was nuts! Their eyes would glaze over after 10 seconds of me trying to explain how it worked and what the potential was. I didn't care, it was so much fun, I could burst! My better half at the time and to this day was the only one who recognized that sparkle in my eye to know that I was on to something.

So, I opened my little studio in a small rural town's downtown district in December of 1994. They didn't want me there. They thought the Internet was "evil" and I was about hooking up children with pedophiles, credit card fraud and creating adult Web sites. But I didn't care - I was having fun! You name the stereotype and I was confronted with it. Regardless of the resistance I couldn't wait to get up and get to the office and enjoy each moment of every day.

Even if it meant dealing with those who would stop by with comments such as "you really think this fad is going to last?" To which I would reply "Fad? I'll catch you in 10 years when this technology has changed the world as you know it!" The time flew by and each day was a blur. My better half would have to give me a call around 7-8pm reminding me it was time to come home.

Starting my business, growing it and keeping it healthy in an online arena saturated with experts and gurus hasn't been easy. But I am having fun! Incorporating and filling out all those legal documents and quarterly returns for the past 10 years has been a real pain. But it doesn't matter; I'm having fun! Dealing with skeptics, criticism and the ongoing challenges that having any business will entail are all there. Who cares? I'm having fun!

If you want to start an online business, you simply cannot do it for the monetary gain alone. Yes, we all strive to make a good income but if you're not having fun, you'll never see the money. See, it is the having fun part that gives you the courage and wherewithal to ride the waves of good and bad, ups and downs and inconsistent income when you first start out.

If you are not having fun, you simply will not have the passion to get through the tough times and decisions that will have to be made. Your customers and clients will come to rely on your enthusiasm (which comes from having fun) for the confidence and encouragement they need to do business with you.

What is your hobby? What do you enjoy doing? Have you invented a better way to do something? Are you passionate about a solution that solves problems? Is there a product you've used yourself and love? Do you have valuable experience to share?

Then build a business on that and you'll thrive because you will have the emotional and principled commitment to make things happen. Think about what you have fun doing and think of a way to turn that into a business. Now you're thinking! Look, you're having fun already!

The Web is filled with folks trying to make a buck who aren't having any fun. You can tell by their poor presentations, their lack of decent service levels and commitment to quality. The ones who aren't having any fun and are just going for the bucks cut corners every chance they get and complain about the latest challenge technology offers because they don't enjoy or believe in what they are doing. Just show them the money! Within a short time their site is shutdown and they've wasted a lot of time and expense.

For those who are having fun, you know what I mean. You're on the other side of this screen with that smirk on your face because you've been there, done that. You know that when you are having fun you are working harder, learning daily and more focused on your goals than anyone you know. You also happened to be happier, more grounded and a more enjoyable person to be around. Your customers love you and your business thrives because you are having fun!

I'm having fun! Actually, after over 10 years I'm still having a blast!

How about you?

Judith Kallos is an authoritative and good-humored Technology Muse. Check out her popular Netiquette site @: http://www.NetManners.com