How To Start An Online Business - Part One
Getting involved in the online business world is a relative
simple process. Whether you just want to make some spare income
or become the next Internet business mogul, you have to start
somewhere. It is best to start with the basics and work your way
up from there. The goal of this informative article is to allow
you, the reader, to start an online business quickly.
Step One: Legalities
Depending on where you live in the world, you may need to obtain
legal documentation such as a business license. It is best to
consult a local attorney. However, not everyone can afford such
an expense. If this is you, look for local small business
groups. By calling around, you should be able to find out what
will be required for you to legally do business on the Internet.
Step Two: Business Plan
Every successful business has a business plan. To many, this may
see like a daunting task. It is well beyond the scope of this
article to explain how to properly create a business plan.
Software exists to help you with this task. Basically, a
business plan helps you clearly define your goals, understand
your competition and visualize what you must do to achieve your
goals.
Spend some time thinking about what you wish to accomplish with
your new business. The answer "make money" is not a valid one.
What is the specific purpose of your new business?
Example: I want to start a business that will sell motherboards
for computers.
Example Expanded: Initially the business will work to obtain
wholesale pricing from motherboard manufacturers and retail them
to the end user. The business will work to create our own brand
of motherboard to retail and distribute to other computer parts
outlets.
Example Long-term: The business will formulate a motherboard
design, have it manufactured and distribute it to computer parts
outlets. Additionally, the business will work to secure working
relationships with computer manufacturers to have our
motherboard built in.
As you can see from the above three examples, we have a working
goal outline. If you do nothing else for this step, do what is
in the above examples. So many people jump into business without
a clear idea of what they wish to accomplish. The end result is
failure.
Step Three: Familiarity
This next step involves you becoming extremely familiar with the
industry you wish to do business in. The more educated you are,
the higher your chance for success is. You should know as many
competitors as possible, especially the big ones. Seeking out
trade publications and informational resources is an absolute
must.
The first step here is to create a new bookmarks folder in your
browser. Call it whatever you wish, but remember to keep your
bookmarks extremely organized. Next, it is time to sit back with
your favorite non-alcoholic beverage and go website cruising.
The first website you will want to visit is the search engine of
your choice. I go to Google.com myself, but this is up to you.
You are going to type in many search queries and visiting many
websites. If you are familiar with tabbed browsing, this task
will be much more orderly. Below I will show you some common
search queries I would do for a new copywriting business.
Today's Popular Articles
* Copywriting * Copywriting forum * Copywriting newsgroup *
Copywriting board * Copywriters association * Copywriters trade
publication * Trade publications writing * Writers * Writers
forum * Writers board * Writers association * Copywriting books
* Copywriting sites
I hope you get the idea. I am basically looking for my
competitors and informational sources where I can eventually
learn and advertise. If your industry has specific product
names, search for those as well.
This is an ongoing process. You want to try and learn as much as
possible in the beginning, but you certainly won't find
everything. As you progress in your business, take note of the
websites you run across. In my bookmarks, I have a folder called
"Check Later" that has a listing of websites that might be
beneficial, but I have not had the time to review yet.
This concludes part one of "How to Start an Online Business".
This first part is crucial. Those who ignore it are almost
certainly destined to fail. Great things take time and to rush
is foolish. If you wish to read the rest of this guide, visit my
website at JasonAMartin.com. You can also find other helpful
articles there on a variety of topics such as marketing and
writing.
Copyright 2005 JASON ANDREW MARTIN LLC
About the author:
Jason A. Martin is a Journalism major and has over a decade of
successful Internet business experience. His informational
articles can be found at http://www.JasonAMartin.com. He owns a
marketing company located at http://www.MarketJunction.com,
which specializes in copywriting
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