Your Social Media Page is Renting, Your Website is Owning. What is the Difference?

 This is a common analogy in digital marketing, and it effectively highlights the fundamental differences in control and risk between social media platforms and owning your own website. 



Here’s a breakdown of why this comparison works:

Social Media Page: Like Renting a House

When you build your online presence solely on social media (like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or X), you are essentially a tenant. 

• No Control Over the Rules: The landlord (the social media company) can change the rules, algorithms, or even the terms of service at any time. A change in the algorithm can drastically reduce your visibility and reach, much like a landlord raising the rent or implementing new, restrictive house rules.
• Risk of Eviction: Your account can be suspended or deleted without warning, and often with little recourse, for violating terms you might not even be aware of. This is equivalent to an eviction where you suddenly lose your home and all your belongings (followers, content, and data).
• Limited Customization: You are restricted to the platform's layout and design options. You can choose the paint color (profile picture, bio), but you cannot knock down walls or add a new extension.
• Data is Not Yours: The platform owns the data about your followers and their interactions, not you. 

Your Website: Like Owning Your House

Owning your own website (using a platform where you control the hosting and domain) makes you the homeowner. 

• Full Control: You set the rules, design the layout exactly how you want it, choose what content to display, and decide how user data is managed [1, 2].
• Security and Stability: No third-party company can shut down your website overnight (as long as you pay your hosting fees and follow basic legal guidelines). You have a stable foundation for your business or personal brand [1, 2].
• Your Asset, Your Equity: The effort you put into building your website—optimizing it for search engines (SEO), creating valuable content, and building an email list—builds long-term equity for you, not a corporation [2].
• You Own the Land (Domain/Data): You own your domain name, which is your permanent address on the internet. You also own your audience's information, such as your email subscriber list, allowing you to communicate directly with them without an algorithm in between.

In summary, while social media is excellent for building initial traffic and community (like renting a convenient apartment while you save up), a website provides the essential, long-term stability and control necessary for a sustainable online presence.

So, do you want to buy your own website property?

Contact us - http://www.aimcbizsolutions.com

So you WANT to be an Entrepreneur, but are you READY to be an Entrepreneur?

Most people dream of running their own business and not have to deal with the 9-to-5 routine of sitting in a cubicle and taking orders from someone they could care less about. There have been many times they think, why should they work hard to make someone else successful?

Of course, most people stick with the 9-to-5 routine since it is safe (well generally) and familiar. The idea of starting out on their own scares them into thinking what if it doesn't work out. Most 9-to-5 professionals think entrepreneurs are crazy and sometimes think starting a business especially in network marketing is a scam. But they know deep down inside, they are thinking they want a piece of the entrepreneur action.

But how do you know you have what it takes to own your own business and be a successful entrepreneur? After all, 90% of all startup businesses fail. Owning a business is very hard but very rewarding if successful.

The most important skill to start off with is perseverance but there is a lot more questions to ask yourself before you take the plunge from going from employee to entrepreneur.

Here are six questions to ask yourself before investing time in a new business.

1. Do YOU want Ongoing RESIDUAL INCOME?
Unless you are self-employed where you trade time for money, most businesses, especially network marketing businesses, allow you to make money while you are not working. The idea is to be able to build an income that is result of an organization that you built or real estate that you own that provides a regular residual income. Of course everyone is going to answer yes to this question, but let's move onto the other questions to test your entrepreneurial will.

2. What is Your WHY?
This is probably the most important question of the list. Without a why, there is really no goal. Without having a why is like driving down a dark street with your headlights off. Sure, you may see some success but you will not not know why. Before venturing into your own business, why are you doing it? Financial independence? To have a flexible life? To help others? Write it down and put it on the wall of your office or in car. This is your inspiration to be successful.

3. Do YOU have an Entrepreneurial Mindset?
Are you afraid to fail? Are you afraid of the fact you may have no income for a little while when you are in the startup phase? Are you not coachable? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may not have the mindset to be an entrepreneur. Another question to ask yourself is what books you like to read? Do you read business books or fiction books? Do you read books that improve your mindset? If you rather read a Harry Potter book or watch mindless TV, then you do not have an entrepreneur mindset.
Now if you have a strong why, enjoy hanging out with successful positive people and are willing to give up the party to work on your success, you are on your way to an entrepreneurial mindset.

4. Do YOU want to CREATE LEVERAGE?
This question is similar to the question about residual income. You create leverage by building an organizational structure or a business structure (in the case of real estate ownership) where you may everyone doing a little for a common goal of building a more successful business. This is how network marketing works where you build an organization where everyone follows a system to build their business. So the question for you is if you are an organizational builder or prefer to be self-employed? Do you want your money to work for you or do you want to work for money? Wealthy people became wealthy because they understood leverage.

5. What are YOU willing to temporarily GIVE UP to get these things?
This is a tough one. Entrepreneurs do not work 9-to-5, they work 24x7. Friday nights may mean working on your business plan versus going to the brewpub. You always need to be on and there is no time to "chill out". There is no "I'll do it tomorrow or next week". You need to give up the mindless activities and focus on activities that will grow you. Your mindset should be on your why and how to create leverage.

6. Are YOU Ready to Make This Happen?
Bottom line, there is no tomorrow or next week. If you want to be successful in the business world, you need to working on it all the time. Every time you take a break, your competition is getting ahead. Of course, you are wondering when can I get my beauty sleep? That is where time leverage comes in, Hint hint.

You are the CEO of your life and you have to have the mindset to create leverage right now or you might as well go back to that 9-to-5 safety net. Entrepreneurship is not for everyone. Ask yourself if you want to be an entrepreneur, are you ready to be an entrepreneur?

As A Business Owner - Always Remember it is a Two-Way Street - Always Respect Each Other

With the widespread use of social media as a quick and easy way to speak your mind regarding a product, service, restaurant or political figure,  the old saying to think before your speak is more important than ever.

Case in point, my company was approached a while back from a future business owner that needed a website and some social media help for their new business.    Just like any service provider, I asked the business owner a few questions to get an idea what they are looking for, so I can create an adequate proposal and price it according to their budget.  About one minute into the discussion, the owner got very inpatient and started yelling at the phone complaining,  I was asking two many questions and screamed "what does it cost for a website, just give me a cost, I have no time!".   I stayed calm and collected, and patiently stated that in order for me to provide a cost I need to gather information about your business.   The business owner acted if he was hiding something and got very agitated with me, so I gave him an option and a ballpark cost to think about and then asked he can call back when he was ready.    After he hung up, I was thinking to myself, was this client worth the aggravation?

The business owner called the next day and wanted to know when his website can be ready, since his business was opening in three weeks and he wanted a website up and running.   Keep in mind, I had no content to go by, so I guess I had to make something up to get this website activated.   I mentioned this to him and again, he got all defensive and started screaming in the phone that I didn't understand how important he is and that I was too nosy asking him all these questions about his business.  Again, the conversation ended.    At this point, I did not want to take any calls and hoped to never hear from this person again.

Months and months went by and this new business never opened.  It finally opened last month, eight months after I had the last conversation.   From what I heard through some channels was that this business owner treated everyone he came across like dirt and was not able to get his business going since he was so difficult to work with.  Needless to say, there are a bunch of people that do not want to have anything to do with this person.

So what is the lesson here?

Had this new business owner demonstrated more patience and had been more collaborative, he would have gotten his business off the ground faster.  He would have also started to build a sizable referral network and become known as the hot new business owner in town.    The irony is that we are in the social media era and word travels fast and we are not trying to compete with each other trying to be tough kid on the block anymore.   This business owner had the "Don't Mess With Me" approach with everyone he came across, which doesn't work in today's business climate.

I will leave this with some recommendations:

- Always treat your business colleagues with respect and dignity.  Everyone you meet has a talent that you need or knows someone that has a talent you need.

- Don't ever think that you are better than the person you are talking to.   You would turn this person off and they will talk about how difficult you are to others.

- Remember, you want people to recommend your product/service/business.  If you are rude and obnoxious, guess what, you will not be recommended.

- All it takes is one bad post on Twitter, Yelp or Google about your business, and instantly you can be out of business.

- Be positive, all the time.   Positive  vibes get you through any challenge and difficult people.

- Think Karma.  What goes around comes around.

So what does the "AIMC" in AIMC Business Solutions mean anyway?

I started my own business a little over seven years ago called AIMC Websites which eventually became AIMC Business Solutions a couple of years later, when we offered more business services with social media management and IT Consulting, among other services.   It has been a great ride and there is no slowing down.  The goal is to expand our network and help small businesses take the next step in their vision to success.

Ok, I did not answer the question yet.   AIMC initially stood for All In My Cart, our internet marketing portal where our customers convert spending to earning.   It has been a wild success, since it is a no brainer for our customers, since they can convert all their online shopping onto one website and build a little annuity doing so.    I also cannot forget the great products in health/wellness and cosmetics too.

However, since the AIMC Business Solutions is a business services company, the "AIMC" needed to have more meaning in the business world.   I have always had a successful career in IT and more recently in social media management and have learned that in any technical or marketing challenge is important to develop an operational process/ structure in everything you do.    

Before you kick a project off the ground, you need to Assess (the "A") what you will need for financial and personal resources to design/define the system needed to meet the client's need.   Assess is the most important part of the project, so there are no surprises later in the project.  

Once the assessment and plan is complete, it is time to Implement (the "I") the system.   Implementing in the IT World can be building the system, going through a pilot or test cycle, and then going live in production.   In a social media campaign implementation, this would be the setup of the social platforms and activating all postings and interactions.

Once you go-live with an implementation, it is important to closely Monitor (the "M") how the new system is running or how the public is responding to a new social media campaign by reviewing analytics.   The first 30-60 days are very important.  Adjustments can be made and monitoring tools start providing good data on the system or campaign.  After 60 days, the system should be a well greased machine!

Once the monitoring tools are in place it is important to stay on track and Control  (the "C")how the system or social media campaign is performing.  In the IT and Social Media world, it is making sure you are proactive and not reactive to customer needs.    The IT System or Social Media Campaign cannot be a burden to the customer.   This is why the Control phase is important and when we never lose sight of this.

So there it is Assess Implement Monitor Control - AIMC Business Solutions.  If you need anything give drop us a message.   We would be happy to help your business plan your next project!