Why writing an e-book is the worst idea when you’re just getting started (and what you should be doing instead) 

Here’s why this is important: Writing an e-book may sound like an easy way to make money, but is it going to sustain your business?

Read on to find out what you need to focus on first to grow a successful business.

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Forgive me while I get passionate about this.  

I see a lot of clients these days. And as I’m fully immersed in the world of wellness business building I see a lot of people finishing up their qualifications to become a Nutritional Therapist, Yoga Teacher, PT, coach or other practitioner and wondering what the first step should be to turn their skills into a business. 

What do most of these people think they should do first?

Write an e-book. 

*Takes a deep breath* 

Now. It’s not your fault if writing an e-book is your first thought too when you’re straight out of the traps.

The problem with the online business building world right now is that it’s all geared towards telling you it’s possible to create ‘passive income’ for yourself. Write a book that just keeps selling while you sleep! What a great business model! 

And you can have passive income to your business. Absolutely. 

But not straight away. 

Because do you know what passive income requires?

An audience to sell to. 

You could create the greatest e-book in the world packed with useful information.

But if you’ve got no-one to sell to, no-one that knows/likes/trusts you, then they’re not going to be buying.

The other thing about e-books is they’re always going to be low priced. That’s the attraction of course.

But when you’re just getting started what I’m presuming you’re trying to do is make a stable enough income to leave your boring day-job and jump into following your passion for wellness and making it a sustainable career. 

How much money do you need every month? And how many e-books are you going to have to sell in order to hit that target? 100s? 1000s? 10,000s? That just isn’t realistic when you’re starting out, sorry to burst your bubble. 

I’m going to cut to the chase and call out what is really happening in your mind and in your actions when you choose to start your business by selling a cheap e-book:

1. 
   

   You’re hiding from selling your top-level programmes and offerings.
   You’ve got money mindset issues around whether people will pay for your 1:1 services and higher priced products, so you’re hiding behind lower priced e-books to make you feel productive and like you’re bringing in money. 

   
   

    

   
   
2. 
   

   You’re getting side-tracked and distracted by what you see other people doing.
   You are following big influencers and much more established practitioners and businesses who seem to have thriving online shops that just drip feed them money all year. Put the blinkers on and do you. You can’t fast-track or upscale without putting in the ground-work needed first.

   
   

    

   
   
3. 
   

   You aren’t being clear and honest with yourself about the money you need this business to make.
   You haven’t got the spreadsheet out and figured out the money you require and the ways you can bring it in. You’ve just gone for the easiest, least visible, playing small option you can see out there and somehow you think it’s going to make you income. It’s time to set some goals honey. 

   
   

 

Ringing some truth bells for you? 

Look don’t get me wrong. I love an e-book. I have a playbook How To Sell Your Wellness Event (inside the Just Start Now course) which is a fabulous tool and resource and that sold loads of copies and made me over €1,000 when I launched it. 

But do you know why that was possible?

Because I had an audience to sell to.

And I had created the book deeply influenced by what these people were telling me they struggled with and needed from me (because I’d done a lot of 1:1 work and talked to them).

And I already had steady and stable income from my 1:1 clients, so the e-book was a lovely addition. Not a core part of my work. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Wellness Business Mentor (@vicky.shilling)

 

So you’re asking – what should I be doing instead? 

Selling. Your. Higher. Priced. Offerings. 

And if that’s making you squirm you need to do the deep work on:

• 
  

  How to sell authentically and effortlessly (check out this podcast episode to get you started)

  
  
• 
  

  Improving your money mindset and teasing out the stories and blocks that are holding you back from bringing in proper sums of money for the amazing work you do (I highly recommend Jen Sincero’s You Are A Badass At Making Money as a starting point)

  
  

Don’t hide behind a book. You’re only delaying making your business truly sustainable. 

If you’re struggling to sell what you do or package up and price your offerings in a way that gets you sustainable income, I’d love to help.

Join Just Start Now today.