Lately I’ve had a lot of conversations with people who think that in order to have portability in their business, they have to build an online business (meaning that all their leads come from “the Interwebs”).

But that just isn’t true. You can absolutely have a portable or virtual business that brings in leads the old fashioned way from your community and your network. (No, you don’t have to do webinars, blogging, Facebook Ads or YouTube Videos unless you want to).

The key is to build your portable business with intentionality.

Intentionality means creating a strategic marketing and business development plan that meets or exceeds your goals, even if you spend weeks or months on the road. It also means making sure your clients know from the get-go that the virtual nature of your business operations is part of the deal. So, when you jet off to Italy for 2 weeks with a plan to work over Zoom or Skype, your clients are totally game and hopefully think it’s pretty darn cool.

If you don’t communicate intentionally that this is how you like to work, there will most likely be an impact. Clients may feel that when you are away from home, that you might not be in “full business mode.” (I.e., “Oh, you’ll be over there? No problem, let’s take a break for the month.”)

And, of course, if you do want to have a portable business, make sure you set yourself up for success so you can fully support your clients and give them a top notch client experience no matter where you are. This, too, takes planning, intention, and communication.  Even in parts of The United States, stable internet and mobile phone connections are not a given.

If you want to create portability, there are hundreds (if not thousands) of ways that you can create a portable business that works for you and your clients. It simply takes strategy, planning and intentionality.

With appreciation,

Tara Butler Floch