A website is supposed to be your online storefront, a place where people can come find you at any given time, right? No. Well that’s not entirely wrong. The problem is when you take on the “everyone else has one so I need one too” type of mindset when building your website. If you view your website as merely a space online, much like an online storefront, then you devalue your worth and defeat the purpose of even having an Internet presence to begin with.

Your website is an extension of you, your brand and most importantly, your reputation. Your website can be more influential in closing a sale than anything you could ever tell a potential customer or client. Why? Nonverbal communication is more impactful and effective than verbal communication. We see it all the time with body language. The Internet is no different. It’s like a whole other form of “body language” and if not treated properly, can negate anything you say to others.

For example, let’s say you attend a networking event. You meet someone who you want to do business with. You talk for hours at the event and you feel pretty confident that you’ve sold yourself. You have a winning personality and you’re pretty approachable. Who wouldn’t want to do business with you? You hand over your business card and your prospect says he’ll email you tomorrow to set up a formal meeting.

The next day you wait and wait. Nothing. You follow up with your prospect and they are aloof or they say they are not interested. You feel like you’ve been suckered. Obviously it has to be the prospect’s fault. They weren’t really interested in doing business with you. For fun, they figured they would waste 2 hours of their precious time talking with someone who they never had intentions of working with. As the ambitious go-getter that you are, you brush it off and move on.

So what happened?

There should be a marketing rehab center for entrepreneurs who are in denial that there is something wrong with their marketing. The first clinic would cover a group session on “My website sucks.” Most people don’t want to admit their website is bad. They either spent too much money on someone who oversold their skills or they spent little to no money doing it themselves. If you’re putting yourself out there and wondering why no one is biting, you might want to look at your website FIRST and FOREMOST.

All that schmoozing you did at the professional networking event with the one promising prospect goes down the drain with a poorly put together website. A bad website conveys:

• I’m not taking this seriously
• I dont value myself enough to invest in my brand’s image

If you’re not showing that you’re serious about your own image, how will a prospect feel about trusting you with theirs? And, AHEM, this holds ESPECIALLY true to those who are in the digital industry such as Internet marketers, graphic/web designers, copywriters, etc. I was recently on someone’s website and they offered SEO as a service. Their website took forever to load and they did not use their title tags properly, not to mention the ENTIRE website was done in Flash. WTF?!

Remember, when you’re starting your business or if you’ve been in the game for a while, you are competing with alot of others who going after the same customers or clients as you. They may be more tech-savvy and have access to resources that you’ve never even heard of. What is your edge? It’s not rocket science.

You’re different simply by being you. Don’t devalue what you have to offer, in terms of your talent and personality. Just don’t overlook details. Don’t invest in that new suit or buy cool stationary if you’re website looks like s**t. It’s hard enough positioning your brand in an already competitive market, why make it harder for yourself?

FYI (Resources to help you out)

• Quality logos (www.logosauce.com)
• Domain name and web hosting (www.webhostingforsmallbusinesses.net)
• Blog (www.wordpress.org)
• Freelance web designer (www.elance.com)
• Website Services and Products (www.nichebrandmarketing.com)
• Printed marketing collateral (www.printplace.com)
• Directory submissions at (www.directorymaximizer.com)
• Free email and business productivity tools (www.gmail.com) and (www.google.com/docs)
• Contact management application (www.highrisehq.com)
• Project management application at (www.basecamphq.com)
• Business profile at (www.linkedin.com) and (www.flugpo.com)

And these are just a small handful of what’s out there.

So what are you waiting for?

If you haven’t read Tim Ferriss’ book, I highly recommend you check it out. It was my very first audiobook purchase (since I don’t have the attention span to read books) and I must admit I am not only hooked to audiobooks but to this concept of becoming a lifestyle entrepreneur. While there’s criticism about whether his tips and suggestions can be relatable to people who struggle to get their business ventures to a successful level, I must advocate for the underlying messages and simple tips that give this book its’ value. Not everyone will be able to afford the lifestyle he leads, however he provides a foundation upon which we can take away pieces of his wisdom and make our ideal lifestyle a reality.

I then came across the title of another book “Soul Proprietor: 101 Lessons from a Lifestyle Entrepreneur” and that’s when it hit me. In order to become a lifestyle entrepreneur I must embrace my business as a career and not as a side hustle. It was rather an enlightening and empowering AHA moment. Yet while it seemed like common sense, I found myself liberated from this mental trap I put myself in, though only for a limited time. I began to think about all the trials and tribulations I endured to get to where I am at and even though I am not where I would like to be I am content with where I am at because it’s where I need to be.

So in reflecting on this, I’ve come to a point where I want to make the ideological transition into a lifestyle entrepreneur. Not freelancer, not small business owner, not strategist or any of the other cliche titles I’ve taken on over the years. A “lifestyle entrepreneur” sounds happier. It gives a feeling that not only have I chosen my career path but I’ve paved my own road and make it a part of my life where I can still be happy and not worry about having to live double or triple lives. A lifestyle entrepreneurs creates their own reality and balances the nuisances of them rather well because it’s not the destination that matters, but rather it’s the journey.