Sunday, January 4, 2009

The Surprisingly Simple Steps of Starting an E-Commerce Business

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http://www.GoldenInternetSuccess.com



The Internet is the playground for would-be entrepreneurs and consumers with credit cards in the ready position. The trick is to combine the two in such a way that they will form a mutually beneficial business relationship. While this may sound like a tall order, you may be stunned to find out that the surprisingly simple steps of starting an e-commerce business are actually achievable for anyone with a hookup to the ‘Net!
There is nothing that cannot be bought or sold over the Internet, and houses, cars, durable medical equipment, jewelry, clothes, pets, and even stamps are enjoying a vibrant business community that is devoted to them. Of course, with so much open cyber space, one might surmise that the market by now is saturated and that new entrepreneurs have to let go of their dreams, but nothing could be further from the truth!
Since there are so many vendors online that are vying for the attention of the consumer, the latter has the luxury of being highly selective and no longer has to settle for second best but instead may wait and pick and choose until she or he finds exactly what they are looking for. This opens the door for the savvy business owner who has the capacity to offer any product with a twist, who can enter a niche by giving the consumer something the other vendors simply have not thought of, hear of, or were unable to obtain, and who is willing and able to work hard at making her or his web presence known.
No longer does the entrepreneur feel shackled to the goodwill of a bank for the money needed to open a brick and mortar store, but instead the enterprising individual will find that e-commerce makes it possible to sell goods without having to maintain an inventory, employing a sales force, and even dealing with the shipping!
Starting an e-commerce business starts with a business plan that outlines what will be sold to whom, and how the entrepreneur will advertise the business to reach the target consumer group. Once this plan is ironed out and some benchmarks for performance reviews are set, the next step is as simple as the first, but just as vital: you need to set up a website.
Oh sure, the temptation of doing it yourself is undoubtedly there, but unless you know exactly what you are doing and how to do it, you will be wise to let someone else handle this aspect of the business. By far too many small home based businesses are doomed to failure because of a website that looks as though a novice had put it together in a time crunch. Broken links, text that does not line up, graphics which make the site too slow for loading, and other problems mar the web presence of many an entrepreneur and thus at least at the onset you will be wise to let the professionals take care of your business’ online face and success is but a few clicks away!


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Sunday, September 14, 2008

Home Business Success: Space for your Home Business

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http://www.GoldenInternetSuccess.com


Working from home and having success with your chosen venture is a major goal for
all. There are many ways that you can work with your home business, and one of the most important things that you have to think about is how you are going to have enough space to have your home business. This is one of the biggest problems that many people have because no matter how much they want to work on their home business, they have to deal with the fact that they simply don’t have enough room to have a separate office or room for their home business.

If this is an issue that you are dealing with, you have to first remember that you are going to be focusing first on what kind of space you need. If you are simply working online, and you don’t any thing other than your computer, it is easy for you to have a corner of your home that you can dedicate to your business. This is something that you want to think about, because it is very easy to have your computer in the corner of a bedroom, living room or even the kitchen ,and to make that space some how separate from the rest of your home. Even working on the computer takes some quiet time and concentration away from the activities of the home. This can be very important if you have smaller children.

If you need a bigger space, one that you can use for merchandise, for doing certain things, or for working on other things that relate back to your home business, you are going to have to find another space for your home business. One of the things that you should remember is that if you can create a space somewhere in your home, this is going to work well for you. You don’t need to have a room that is only for your home business if you can remember to keep them separated.

Keeping your home and your business separate is very important because you simply have to be able to have a space for your business. This is vital in making sure that your business runs well. You have to be sure that as you go to work, you are actually moving into an area that is separate from your home. This is something that many people don’t do, and it blurs the lines between their business and their home life. This can be very dangerous. If your business is to be successful you must have dedicated work time! So, in order to make sure that you are giving yourself the right kind of lifestyle, you have to be sure that you have a separate area for your home business, one that you can know is different from your home. Remember, keeping them separate is something that is very important, and it is something that you can do very easily as well. You have to be sure that you keep your business and your home separate, even if they both are in the same building.

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Sunday, September 7, 2008

Home Business Success: Successful Networking Tips

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http://www.GoldenInternetSuccess.com


A huge part of networking is being social and not just a wallflower. Next time you attend a networking function consider the following tips to help yourself become more successful while looking successful and sounding smooth to others around you. And yes, networking is important to any type of business, whether home based, franchise or one you started yourself.

Before you attend the event write down what your strengths, attributes and special skills are in order for you to know why someone should be interested in what you have to offer. Keep these strengths in your head in order to boost your confidence and remind yourself of why people should be talking with you and listening to what you have to say.

Next picture the room in your mind, picture yourself shaking hands and talking with people. By visualizing everything you will be doing it can really help even they most shy individual. Visualization is a powerful tool used by many successful people whether it is in business, sports or entertainment.

Then when you finally show up make sure you have a confident posture, a controlled walk, a smile on your face and a firm handshake to those you meet. And never forget to make lots of eye contact. Then be sure to use the immediate environment to start a conversation such as the venue or the host. This will help you to find a common bond and to keep the conversation going. Always start with small talk before you get down to business.

When you need to get down to business have some questions prepared to ask people in order to find out what their needs are and then you can shape the conversation in order to reflect the way your services will help people in these areas. You don’t have to be pushy, rather soft sell yourself and build interest. This will make people more receptive to be helped by you.

Talking is only half of the event. When it comes your turn remember to repeat the individuals name back to them, actively listen to what they have to say and keep a mental database of as many details you can about the person to whom you are talking. If possible always get a business card and don’t be afraid to ask for it. The best time to ask is usually after they have talked about what they do and then you can offer yours in return. If they don’t volunteer what they do be sure to ask! It’s a great way to get the conversation rolling.

Then when you return home be sure to write out information on the back of the card or a sheet of paper that can be stabled to the card. This way you can maintain and build and rapport for future meetings, emails and phone calls. Everyone likes a person who remembers them. Then within twenty-four hours be sure to email everyone and say you enjoyed meeting them and mention a detail your remember and suggest that they keep in touch with you. Once you have a relationship developed you will find it easier and more successful to find ways you can help each other!
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Sunday, August 31, 2008

Work From Home Business Success: Research Interest And Size Of Market Available

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You know you want to go into business for yourself, but what do I want to do is a question people often ask themselves. Once you do some creative thinking and determine you are the type of person who can be a business owner, whether from home, at home or in a franchise situation, finding the right business can be as important as the decision to go into business for yourself.

Look into the many franchise opportunities that have an interest and you can afford, and then choose three or four opportunities. Be sure to look closely at the details of the francise as far as initial investment and on going costs you will have for the francise. You can then narrow the list be researching their viability in today’s market as well as the saturation in your community. For example, if you are considering a franchise of a nationwide malt shop and there are none within 50 miles of your home, the demand may make it a worthwhile investment.

On the other hand, if there two or more other malt shops in the community, any malt shop business that exists will split three ways. Additional outlets do not automatically create a larger market. Most times it simply divides the market by one additional outlet. You will also want to consider profit potential and always keep in mind the initial franchise fee, the monthly franchise cost as well as the cost of company-owned supplies when comparing opportunities. A franchise for a product that is in high demand and used by many is usually better over all than something that has a limited number of users. For example a franchise for complete meals offers something to everyone while a malt or ice cream shop is just for those wanting the malt or ice cream option.

How long it will take to reach the break-even point, that is the amount of your investment and associated costs, will be paid and monthly charges offset by sales income, before making a decision. It will not hurt to talk to other franchisees to learn of their experience with a particular company. While many may not be willing to share detailed information with you, since you are not yet a member of the “family,” they may be willing to talk about their experience with that particular chain.

Look at the trends in the company with which you may want to become a partner. A few years ago, the malt shop business changed due to people concerns about fat and calories. Several unprepared companies took a proverbial bath as a result and could not stay afloat until the controversy ended and ice cream shop businesses evolved to more low fat options for the consumer.

Consider you target audience and determine if the communities demographics will provide a large enough market for your business. If the company estimates your primary customers will be between 30 and 45 years of age and the community demographics show only about 10 percent of the population fit that demographic, a malt shop may not be in high demand in that area.

Also consider the employment rate in the area and if it is high it may be a sign that not many people can afford the luxury of buying malts and ice creams. There are numerous factors to consider when choosing a business and having all the facts and information available can help make an informed decision.


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Sunday, August 17, 2008

Home Business Success: Advertising Your Home Based Business

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http://www.GoldenInternetSuccess.com

Having a home based business, or any business for that matter, has many ups and downs to it. The last thing you want to worry about while trying to figure everything else out is whether or not your home based business is getting enough advertising to make a profit. We all know that promotion or advertising is vital to any business.

When it comes to advertising there are several different ways you can do this and some may even work better than others but you want to be sure to reach as many audiences as you can in order to provide yourself the best outcome. In this article I will provide a few different ways you can advertise your business and hopefully one, if not more, will work for you.

Newspaper Advertisement

We all have seen how powerful the newspapers are. They cover all the news, good and bad, show job listings, and even advertise businesses. Though this can be quite costly, depending on how big you want the ad to be and how long you want it to run, it is still one of today’s best methods in getting the word out there about you, your business and what you can do for the public. Spend some time searching for newspapers that offer low cost options for your advertising or those that will do feature articles on your business.

Television Advertisement

This is yet another expensive, yet effective, way to get the word out. Most people in America own a television, or at the very least can find a way to view one. You know as well as I do that when you are right in the middle of the best part of your favorite show, there comes a commercial break. Commercials are where people who run businesses or offer some sort of service tell about their product(s) and try to get you to buy from them or use their services instead of someone else’s. Why not put your service out there for the public to see and decide if it is something they want or need. You might be surprised how many actually watch the commercials.

Internet Advertisement

This seems to be one of the best and most inexpensive way to get the word out about your business and the product or service you offer. You will find there is a wide variety of places to advertise on the internet. Some are free and others paid. Do some research and you will find options that fit into your budget and get the job done. The best part about it is that you can set up your company’s own website and put whatever it is that you think will help your company. Be sure when doing this though that you keep the information on your company’s website up to date with current information. Example: If you are having a sale but it ends in a week, put the information on there about the sale, but go back in a week and take the info off. You don’t want to advertise something that is not happening as you would have to honor that and may end up losing money in the end.

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Sunday, August 10, 2008

Home Business Success - Understanding Business Profit And Loss

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For most home business owners and many small business operators, their idea of a profit and loss statement, P&L in business parlance, may be oversimplified. If they had more income than expenses, they made a profit. If not, they had a loss and will usually try to find more business or increase prices to turn the trend around. By better understanding their own business’s profit and loss statement, they will be able to determine not only how much money is earned and spent, but also track their expenses to gain better control of the finances.

The first thing to remember is that there is a difference between a budget and a profit and loss statement. Income is projected and expenses are budgeted, based on the income projection. If the income does not meet the forecast, certain expenses will need to reigned in to make the profit and loss statement come in on the plus side at the end of the month.

The business’s P&L can be as simple or as complex as you choose to make it, but the more tracking of expenses that you do, the better handle you can have on what needs to be done to control your profit amount. For example, you can simple include a line in your expense column pertaining to utilities and lump them all together. However, to get a better picture of where your money is going, you will want to break them down into subcategories such as electric, gas, water and telephone.

By keeping them separate you may see a need to bring telephone costs under control by eliminating unnecessary lines that seldom ring or find ways to save on your electric costs. If you deduct for business use of your home, you will have a pretty good idea of what your costs for utilities, rent, insurance and other expenses will be based on the percentage of your home’s cost deducted for business use of the home.

One of the first things to budget, which has the greatest impact on your P&L will be income. Whether you sell a product or service, you will need to track all forms of income, as well as allow for deductions due to refunds and rebates and any discounts offered as customer incentives. Tracking this on the P&L is fairly easy, as if the money comes into the business it is considered income. The source can be itemized as well to help indicate how you may go about increasing income.

Expenses in the budget can be calculated as a fixed dollar amount or a percentage of income, which usually provides greater control over spending. Itemized expenses on the P&: can also make filing income taxes easier as you will have a monthly record of how much money came into the business as well as where every dollar went that left the building.

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Sunday, August 3, 2008

Home Business Success: Tips For Internet Marketing

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http://www.GoldenInternetSuccess.com


Internet marketing is a fairly new area in the marketing field. Marketing websites is close to marketing for other products and services. If you are new in the Internet marketing field there are some tips to assist you. We are going to use this article to examine those aids.

It is advisable not to use additional products and services to increase your sales. Instead of increasing the quantity of products or services, you would do better to increase the variety of different marketing methods. By doing this, only a small part of the total business is affected if one product declines or a marketing response drops.

Be sure to remember that customers are also prospects. You need to stay in contact with them. Try to find or develop other products or services that they can use. Return customers are easier to make a sale to than new customers.

Avoid making exaggerated claims, even if they are true. Bold claims create doubt in potential customer’s minds and jeopardize sales. It is better to bring those bold claims down to believable levels. Numerical claims should be expressed as odd numbers with decimals or factions.

You may need to change your market if you are attracting prospects that don’t have or can’t get the money to buy your product or service. You should target prospects that have an intense desire for the benefits of your products or services. You also need to target those that can afford your products or services.

When developing offers for your business, create them in sets of five to seven at a time. Purchases and offers are most successful after viewing 7 times. They should also have expiration dates. With expiration dates you can replace the expired one with a new offer and deadline. With a series of offers you can constantly recycle through them. It is also possible to create an irresistible offer by combining a discount price and a set of valuable bonuses in the same offer.


By offering an exclusive benefit to your customers, this benefit will help sales. The benefit should be something that your competitors can’t or won’t offer. A good example of this would be your personal cell phone or home phone numbers. A lot of business owner’s don’t want to be that accessible.

Advertising copy should be written like the message was written specifically for each reader. This type of copy seems to produce great responses. This can be accomplished by making the copy be written to just one person instead of a group of people. You also might want to write in a less formal, more personal style.

The majority of sales are not made on the first contact. You need to develop a method to capture and save names and contact information of prospects. By doing this you can follow up with them periodically. Sometimes a gentle coaching is all that is needed to make a sale.
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