The Everyday Entrepreneur

Starting an Online Business: What You Need to Know

The ultimate home business is, in my opinion, computer based, and better yet, web based. What's not to like about a business that:

Can be managed from a desktop computer in the comfort of your own home
Makes it easy to spend time with your family
Has a relatively low start-up cost
Has relatively low overhead
Is clean and non-toxic
Can be done day or night from anywhere in the world
Is fun!

There are many business you can start from your computer-- I will focus on those that that are computer centered, such as:

Web Design/Maintenance
Publishing
- E-books
- E-zines
Online Auctions
Virtual Marketplace
Proofreading/Editing
Classes/Teleseminars
Any combination of these!

In order to begin a web-based business, you need to spend a little time learning about the internet, researching what sort of business would be best for you, and learning to how to start, promote, and maintain an online business. It's intense at first, and you can actually never stop learning, because the online world changes so quickly. I will share here some of the most important things I've learned and some of the best resources I've found in operating my own online business. Good luck!

Website Creation: Domain Names, Hosting, and HTML (or not)

The first thing (assuming that you have a computer and internet access) you will need is a good e-commerce website (unless you're doing one of the simple small businesses below, such as paid surveys, mystery shopping, etc.). What's that, you ask? E-commerce means 'business on the internet,' and an e-commerce site will usually have a shopping cart and secure pages for processing payments. You can learn to code HTML (the programming language used for websites) from scratch, or you can do as I did, and encourage an interested family member to learn it. Who's going to know that your webmaster is 11 years old, and further, who's going to care as long as everything works well (and your webmaster will grow up--- mine will soon be a college grad)?

You can create a site on a shoestring, but there is one thing you must buy-- your domain name. The URL of your website should be www.yourbusinessname.com, not something like www.yourchildhoodnickname.freewebsite@patheticbeginner.com. Having a strong, professional domain name is a signal that you are a serious business-person, not a fly-by-night operation, or a 10-year-old prankster.

If you want to avoid learning HTML at the outset, I recommend that you purchase Macromedia's Dreamweaver. This is wonderful program-- professional web designers use it, but so do I. My pathetically small knowledge of HTML isn't even necessary when using Dreamweaver, as the program has an WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) interface. However, you can look at the code view also, which is a terrific feature. I keep the code window open at the top of my editing page, and I can type directly into either view. I'm learning more HTML more easily than I ever did just trying to do it from scratch. There are other web design programs available, but frankly, most of them are Mickey (trademark protected rodent). If you want a decent website and a program that can grow with you for the remainder of your business life, get Dreamweaver or Adobe GoLive, which is another professional-quality program that will do what you need it to. Don't-- and I do mean this-- don't get stuck with little baby programs that will tie you up in knots and produce an unprofessional looking site. Good tools save time, aggravation, and money, so get what you need.

If you are lucky enough to be a college student or a homeschooler, students and teachers can order software at a dramatically reduced price-- as much as 75% off the regular cost at sites such as Studica or Academic Superstore. I've used both these sites and they are incredibly fast and efficient. You just have to supply proof of your qualifications to order-- your student identification, your course listing, or whatever else they suggest. Very simple, and definitely worth it.

The simplest option for web creation is an all-in-one e-commerce package. Find a vendor that offers an entire e-commerce package, and at least half your work is done for you. I'm not talking about the cheapie hosting services that offer awkward templates for beginner websites, but about services that offer domain hosting, nicely designed and customizable site templates and all the features you need to make a highly profitable e-commerce site, including search engine optimizers and a good support staff.

Do your research carefully here-- this is the equivalent of renting office space for a non-web-based business-- location can make or break your business! You're going to be in a very cozy relationship with the company you choose for a very long time (provided that all goes well), so read all the information the company offers on their website. Look especially for testimonials from users, and check out the websites the users have created with the e-commerce hosting service you are considering. This will tell you a lot about what a successful site looks like, how customizable the company's site designs are, and much more.

I have assembled my site piece by piece over the years, and although I'm happy with my hosting company, it is not always convenient to have to keep up with all the bits and pieces-- a counter from one company, stats from somewhere else, domain names from still another company. I don't have time for all this! So what can I do about it?

The Anybody-Can-Do-It Website

When my current hosting plan expires, I'm seriously considering moving my site to a full-service e-commerce provider, Site Build It. Some of my very favorite sites have been built with this incredible all-in-one e-commerce site creator, and I'd like to get my hands on it. It has every single feature I want for my site, particularly the features that keep an e-commerce site high in the search-engine rankings. Not only does it do more than the patchwork of tools I've put together, it seems that it would be a whole lot easier to use. For a home business person, time is money, so easy is good!

You can read more about it by clicking on the button below. Be sure to notice how much support the company offers, too. I've learned a lot from the site about marketing, elements that make a site successful, and other essentials for e-commerce. This company gives away more information for free than many sites offer in their most valuable info-packs! So be sure to at least visit the site and learn a few things. Some of the great free e-book downloads that I offer come from this company, so if you have downloaded them, you'll know what I mean about quality materials and great support.
Click here to learn more!

Website Building for the Cheapskate

If you want to do as I did, go ahead and start pulling together the ingredients of an internet business. As we discussed, you must first purchase your domain name. I buy all my domain names from GoDaddy. Not only are they cheap, but they have been super-reliable for all the years I've used them, and they also offer hosting services. The most economical way to buy both domain names and web hosting is with a multi-year rate. Once you've selected a service you like, go with the longest terms you can afford.

Once you have the domain name secured, you will need the following items:

A place to host your website
A way to process payments
A plan for fulfilling orders
A way to stay in touch with your customers
A plan for marketing

Coming soon! More resources, and information about what to do once you get your domain name and website.

Resources for Creating an Online Business

The Non-Designer's Web Book by Robin Williams: Trust me, you need this. If you have no graphic design experience, Williams' brief, simple book will save you from many of the sins of the very-bad-webmaster. She will help you produce clean, clear, attractive pages that load quickly. Her other book, The Non-Designer's Design Book, is a great resource for designing print media, including your business card, stationery, and brochures. This first edition of this book has been within reach of my desktop since it was first published, and I still use it.

Web Hosting Services: In addition to GoDaddy, there are many other small-business hosting services available. If you plan to start small, then grow, look for a plan that will grow with you. Most services offer small business plans that are more than adequate for a start-up venture, but as your traffic increases, you'll need to keep an eye on your site to be sure that your server is adequate.

iPowerWeb- Introducing $7.95 Hosting, Free Setup and $75 Marketing Rebate
Yahoo!- Reliable, affordable business hosting from Yahoo! Web Hosting.
Netfirms- Discover why Netfirms hosts over 1,000,000 Websites.
Blue Page- Build a great web site ? no experience necessary!
StartLogic- Free setup/domain, Web builder, unlimited emails, PHP, mySQL, CGI, FrontPage. From $6.50/month. Click Here for more info.
Blue Host- Introducing $7.95 Hosting, Free Setup and $75 Marketing Rebate
IXWebHosting- $4.95/mo - Superior Service with Excellent 24/7 Toll Free Support, Live Chat, and Email. Linux AND Windows packages!!!

10-06- Free Video on Making Money with a Free Blog! One of the workshops I teach is on the topic of microbusiness-- creating a small (very small!) business in an affordable way. I think it's one of the most interesting and useful things that a young person can do to make the most of the teen years. The business skills you can learn are applicable anywhere, and it's a terrific way to earn money for college.

I occasionally come across free or low-cost resources that can help to make starting a microbusiness simple. I downloaded and watched this free video this morning, and thought it was quite helpful. If you've even thought of starting a microbusiness, you need to know how to start a blog!

This video, Making Money with a Free Blog, has some excellent ideas, and it shows exactly- step by step- how to start a blog for business purposes. It's a free download, and comes with a PDF transcript if you'd like to read along. Enjoy!

New item: The 12-Month Internet Millionaire- Although this is sold on one of those screamingly long web pages full of hyperbole, a lot of the information is useful. For me, the sales page teetered on the brink of offensive in spots-- probably because the writer is a young guy immersed in pop culture;-). The information in this info-package won't be all you need, but it will help you get acquainted with the terminology and techniques you'll need to start earning on the internet. It's an e-product, which means that if you purchase it, you can download it and start learning instantly. If nothing else, reading the sales page will show you the elements of a compelling pitch!

Online Business Opportunity

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