Why we set up NetNomads Community

Vic and I, and I am sure a lot of you out there, have been running our own business for a long time. In our case, for over twenty years. As you may know, it is exciting and very rewarding to take an idea and get it off the ground to see it grow and flourish. It doesn’t happen by itself, of course. It takes a lot of hard work and, more importantly, different skills.

Different Skills Needed

Launching your business starts with your core product or skill. The one thing you are confident about that will be of great value to your customers. This could be anything from photography to selling flowers or in our case the glamourous world of… flooring.

Maybe not the most glamorous – but there happens to be a market out there for it. We had good product knowledge and were a step ahead in the internet game. So we managed to upskill in website building, got our heads around the logistics and drew up a basic budget plan. As you do… We launched the website and were ready for stellar growth!

Only, that didn’t happen. At first, we were unsure as to why:

• We have a website, check.
• We have the product, check.
• We are ready to process payments, maybe not check.
• Have we done our SEO? Maybe not check.
• Have we made our USP clear? Maybe not check.
• And so on…

Too Thinly Spread

Hardly surprising, no? You don’t just launch a business and sit back and count your profits. There are a number of reasons it doesn’t work that way. Many others are out there doing the same thing you are; perhaps hundreds or even thousands. It was then that we realised (this was a decade and a half ago) that we were not yet well enough versed in the complicated world of the online entrepreneur. And by complicated I mean that you become very thinly spread when you try to do everything.

You lose focus on your core product – the thing that launched this whole enterprise, and you try to do it all. The photography, copywriting, the tech sheets, payment systems, SEO, graphic design, accounting, etc. You know the drill.

And you may do a pretty good job of it all. But while you’re learning QuickBooks or the fine art of product placement copywriting, you’ve taken your eye off the banking platform and your product shots are blurry and dark.

How do you do it all?

You can pay someone, of course! Get that web designer in to optimise the page load times. Ask a graphic designer for a new corporate logo. Those product shots? Get that guy with the Nikon in here. And hire an accountant to sort out the statements.

Excuse me, how much? For one hour?!

How can we possibly afford that? We don’t even have the cash flow (yet). We haven’t even paid ourselves yet… Why is this not working?

Google doesn’t care.

You have done everything that was needed, right? And you probably have. But guess what? And if Google doesn’t care, you won’t show up in the rankings. And people won’t find you. Worse still – if by lucky chance, they do? Your photos suck. And let’s pretend they push past that and try to place an order? Well, your payment system is too clunky. So they bounce and go somewhere else.

So you’re a bit stuck in a circle of needing to give your website and marketing a well-needed boost, but you’re unable to get professional results due to a lack of budget.

Everyone is in the same boat

Right? Or, at the very least, it sounds familiar. That is exactly what we thought one day, sitting back and taking a good look at the ‘big picture‘. There must be hundreds of others out there struggling to be heard over the internet static and increasing noise.

Not hundreds of flooring salesmen, but people in other sectors. Like videographers, bookkeepers, insurance guys, writers, teachers etc. who may need help in other areas than their core product in order to boost their business.

What if we could help each other? You help them with what you’re good at and they could help you where they are more proficient. Exchange your skills. You write some amazing sales copy and they take some professional photos for you. You could pay them for it, and they could pay you. Job done.

Community

But where do you find these people? Like-minded entrepreneurs or self-employed people with the skills you need? And maybe… if cash is tight, why not just exchange your time. An hour for an hour. You get some pro assistance where you need it and so do they. And, best of all, the budget is still on track.

But what if the other person didn’t have the skills you need at that particular time? How about having a community bartering system, where your debit / credit could be used with ANY other member?

So we created this platform where you can:

• help each other by exchanging skills
• find the right people for your project
• engage with people who need your skills
• share your thoughts in forums
• offer your workshops, consulting sessions and courses
• support each other in personal and professional growth
• expand your network with heart-minded professionals

This will level up your business, help you get noticed, and be more professional in those areas you are not very professional in. And their business will level up thanks to your input helping them. And others will need each other’s help, input and support. There is a need for this, an alternative way of collaborating and offering mutual support.

You don’t have to do it all alone.

That is how NetNomads was born!

It’s a community that shares, helps, learns and grows. A mutual support network. Built with love.