Chapter 1 What Reasons Are There for Starting an Online Business?
Chapter 2 Things That Need to be Considered Prior to Setting Up an Online Business
Chapter 3 How to Set Up a Business Plan for an Online Business
Chapter 4 What Types of Business Can You Have as an Online Business?
Chapter 5 How to Go About Setting Up an Online Business
Chapter 6 How to Set Up an Online Business on a Budget
Chapter 7 Just What is Affiliate Marketing and Why Become an Affiliate Marketer?
Chapter 8 Is Using an Online Payment Service a Good Decision for my Online Business?
Chapter 9 How do You Go About Marketing Your Online Business?
Conclusion Resource Guide
First, let me thank you for purchasing this exciting new guide on how to set up your own online business. I really appreciate that.
Let me introduce myself. I’m not the best at presenting myself, but I want to tell you a story; a story about me, how I came from almost nothing and now have more than anything I could ever want.
My name is Lorenzo Cicetti, I’m an Italian, I’m an husband to my wonderful wife Maiko and a father to Leonis. Here is me with my family.
And here is a smiling face of my son Leonis, I’m so proud of him, love him so much and I’m extremely grateful that I can be at home near him and my wife.
Here’s is what I do. I’m an Internet Marketer and a success coach. I help people turn their dreams into reality, their visions into real success. But the road to true success isn’t easy; if you’ve tried and failed many times just like me, you know what I mean.
Now my story isn’t the ramblings of an old man talking down to you; I’m actually quite young! But what I lack in age, I make up for in experience.I’m not going to lie. I know a lot of “inspirational” people will tell you they had an awesome life and will show you how. My life hasn’t been easy. I started out in an average family who was cash strapped. My father and mother constantly reminded me that, “Money doesn’t grow on trees!” and “We can’t afford that.” My parents loved me, but they didn’t expect great things from me, and I ended up falling into drugs and alcohol. Finally I got tired of this destructive way of living and decided to get an education, and found what most people would call a good job.
I worked in the Finance Sector for over ten years, but it was killing me. I couldn’t stand the long hours and time away from my family. I ended up 30k in debt, and kept working so I could buy things that I thought would make me happy. So many of us work awful jobs just trying to make ends meet, but for what? You’re just working and wasting years of your own life to enrich some faceless corporate executive who doesn’t even know who you are, and he doesn’t care about your dreams.
I didn’t understand why I wasn’t getting anywhere. I did what we are all told to do: study hard, get a degree and land a good paying job. My job taught me many skills, but I didn’t feel like I was going anywhere in life. I started feeling that life was not worth wasting on a job that was wrong or a bad fit. I wanted greater autonomy, freedom to do what I wanted. I couldn’t find it, and then I suffered a major breakdown. I just snapped; I couldn’t handle it any more: the long hours, all the debt, it seemed there was no end to this cycle.
This was when I decided that it was time for ME; it was my time to take the dreams I had for myself, my family, and my future and start on the path to success. I kept thinking, “If I die tomorrow, is this all my life would be, or could ever be?” I took a good look at myself in the mirror and started taking an inventory of all the things about myself that needed to change, and I began changing them.
But how do we change? I figured I would find the answer online, and searched for weeks. I came across a page much like this; a woman who had been deep in debt just like me had been working horrible hours and found a way to change her life. She wanted to help other people. It finally dawned on me that not only could I help myself, I could help other people too!
I know how it is to be afraid of the future, to be drowning in debt and to have no one believe in you. But if you really think about your life, you have to know that you were meant for something so much bigger! You can become the person you want to be, and create the opportunities that you want for yourself. You just have to ignite that spark in yourself, and let it burn as bright as you are!
I had thirty dollars in my bank account when I thought, “Why don’t I work for myself?” Why not create a business that will endure after I’m gone, that my children will run while enjoying the freedom that I never had. I knew that was what I wanted to do so I went to the bank and took out a loan. I was committed to the process. When I started, my English was awful, and I had no idea what I was doing. After I started my business, did my life become easy overnight? No! But through hard work, I did something new with my life: I became my own boss, only answering to myself! No more bosses screaming at me about reports, no more evaluations and no more working long hours on a fixed income. Three years later, I am a real success! I show people that if I can do it- a guy from Italy, who couldn’t speak English, and who only had a computer and the desire for a better life- anybody can do it!
Now I help people like me, like YOU, make the money they need to reach their dreams and goals in life. I know that every person has potential; you are a magnificent and magical human being, full of limitless possibilities! Already, you have the will, the spirit, and all the resources inside of you to achieve even the wildest dreams! This is why I’m a success coach: I want to see other people succeed, to be freed from the cycle! Let me help you reach your dreams, and be free of your old life forever!
If what I’ve been talking about resonates with you, if you’re like the Lorenzo of ten years ago, I want to help you! I have faced these problems head on, and I know the pain they can bring. I have felt the pain of uncertainty and depression, and I know how to help you take charge of your life. I don’t want anyone else to suffer through it. This is why I became a success coach!
I have a mission now:If you believe you have the desire, the drive and the spirit inside you to be successful, then please contact me! I’m here to help you achieve your goals, dreams and the life that you deserve!
To know more about me and how I can help you starting your business you can visit www.ayeartoretirement.com or http://meetlorenzo.comNow back to business. As you know, more and more people today have become dissatisfied with their jobs (like I Was) and their pension provisions. So the interest in starting an online business has begun to increase. Yet many who look at such a project find it difficult to know where to start because of the mountain of information available on the subject.
However, during this book we will help you to wade through the mountain of information available. This will, in turn, help you to decide on what is the right sort of online business for you.
One of the first things that you should bear in mind when setting up an online business of any sort, is that you must treat it as just that – a business. This means that you must be prepared to put in the time and effort in order to reap the rewards, even if you are only starting it as a part time venture at first.
Next, you must be prepared to invest some money into it. You do not need to put in $50,000 like a normal franchising. In fact, if you want, you could actually set it up on a very low budget ($2,000-20,000). Also, what you should remember where an online business is concerned, the running costs are very low compared to a more traditional business.
However, the best place to begin is by picking what you like from the existing successful online business models already out there. So talk to others who have already made money in the niche that you have chosen, and then study, then implement the steps that they took to make it the success it is.
So now you need to think about just what sort of business it is you like to run. Some of the more popular types of online businesses to be found are: creating and then selling digital products (e-books are a good example of this). Also, you may want to make downloadable audio and video products for your customers, or you may just want to get into affiliate marketing instead (easier and everything is ready for you). We will look at affiliate marketing a little further on in this book in a little more depth.
For some, the thought of creating their own products seems very daunting, but if you happen to be an expert in a particular niche, then coming up with ideas should not be that difficult. It is important that you carry out some market research to make sure that people would buy related items.
The best way of starting an online business is to copy somebody who already did it and can mentor you. This will help you to focus your attention, as well as help to create a small income more quickly. But over a period of time, you will soon develop new skills, and through persistence and patience, you will soon see some very good results appear.
Warm regards, LorenzoFor many people, the main reason that they decide to start an online business is to earn an extra income. Usually, this is in addition to the income that they are already earning. However for others, what starts as a part time venture, soon becomes a full time one.
Another reason that people decide to start up an online business is that they have more control over their working life.Also, it provides them with a chance to spend more time with their family and friends. Today much too much time is spent working, and many people find that they have little or no time to spend with those that they love.
Furthermore, there are other reasons as to why so many people now choose to set up an online business.What rush hour?
No longer do they need to get up in the morning to rush off to work and get caught up in all that traffic. Now that time which would normally be wasted sitting in traffic can be used to their advantage. Plus, it is up to you when you work, so if you don’t want to start until late in the morning, you do not need to.
ProsperityBecause of the rapid advance in technology, many online businesses today tend be prosperous, and so getting involved in this type of business is a good way to make some money.
Costs of Starting UpThis is probably one of the biggest reasons as to why many people choose to start an online business. As many of the transactions are completed online, there is little or no need for lots of paper and documents. What one really needs in order to get an online business going is a computer, a high speed internet connection (ADSL), printer, fax machine and few other essentials that an office may need.
As you can see, these are just a few good reasons for why setting up an online business might be the ideal choice for you.What product or service will you want to provide?
For many people, they will start an online business based on knowledge and experience that they have already, while others may spot a gap in the market. But the most important thing that you can do is carry out research with companies and individuals that you do not know in order to get a more unbiased view.
Also, do as much reading and research on everything you can about particular areas of interest, as well as studying the pros and cons that this will have in relation to your overall goals. Plus, make yourself familiar with your competitors, as this will boost your confidence and enthusiasm for setting up an online business.
Where to work from?You do not need to work from home, but this is an option that many online business people prefer. But others prefer to have an office away from the home, as they find it difficult to focus, as well as feeling isolated.
How to market the business?It is important, if you want your online business to thrive, to ensure that you establish a web presence. The best way of doing this is by direct mail, networking, display advertising etc. But what approach works best for you will depend on the product that you are selling. The best way of finding out what will work, is by trying a different number of methods initially, and then go for it once you know which one is best. However, if you are unsure where to start, then look at how your competition is marketing their goods…if it works for them, it may work for you also. If you want to start making money fast you need a Turnkey Marketing System like one you can find at www.ayeartoretirement.com .
Develop a Plan.Without having a blueprint on how to reach your goals, you may find that not just your efforts, but the resources may well be squandered. Having a plan provides you with focus, direction and momentum to keep the business on track. We will look further at setting up a business plan in the next chapter.
Check Laws and RegulationsIt is important that you check to see if there are any local laws or regulations in relation to setting up an online business from home. Also, you will need to get laws and regulations in regard to being self employed.
Setting up the OfficeMore often than not, an online business will be conducted from the person’s home. So it is important that you set up a home office prior to starting up the business. You should arrange to have all the necessary equipment that you will need such as computer, internet connection, printer, fax machine (but not essential) are just a few things that you will need if you want to be successful with your online business.
By setting up a business plan, you are road mapping your way to success. It will help you to develop your business goals and strategies, as well as providing you with a better understanding of the marketplace. It will also highlight any business strengths or weaknesses that you may have, as well as providing you with an opportunity to take a close look at your competitors. If you want, you can also include financial projections, historical data and growth expectations into your business plan.
With any good business plan, it should show who the target audience is, and just how the product or service that is being provided will meet or exceed their needs and expectations.
When organizing a business plan it is best if you break it down into sections such as:1. Business summary – The product or service you want to provide.
2. Market analysis – Research on the product or service and how the competitors are doing.
3. Product positioning – How to make it more prominent compared to your competitors.
4. Market strategy – How are you actually going to market it?
5. Customer analysis – Look at what the customer wants or needs.
6. Financial analysis – What you need to invest in order to set up the business and to keep it going while it is just getting started.
7. Overall business goals – What you hope to achieve in, say, a year’s time.
But what is more important is that once a business plan has been developed, it should not lay in the back of a drawer somewhere. It should be a working plan that you can refer to when you need to.
The best way to make a business plan is to keep it simple (one or two pages should be all you need).
In this chapter, we will look at some of the more common types of online businesses that people are running. Keep in mind, the decision is really up to you as to what type of business you want to run online.
Marketing BusinessThis is one of the most common types of online businesses around. You can either run this business by exclusively marketing your own products, or by marketing those of other big budget companies. But this needs you to produce a visually striking web page that has all the necessary information and purchasing options on it for the products in question. In order for this business to be successful, it needs to be promoted effectively to potential customers via search engines, email or other sources. We will look at marketing in more depth in another chapter of this book.
Turnkey Internet BusinessThis is a very trendy type of business to have online. This is where you would purchase a website from an already established sector and then run the business on a web platform that is provided to you by the established business. In order to promote such an online business, there are many different methods that you could use, such as promoting individual products or services to your online customers.
Internet ServicesThis is a business where specific services are provided to online customers at a reasonable price. Such businesses are often set up according to a person’s professional expertise and will provide services to their customers in relation to this. The types of businesses that will come under this umbrella are online consultancies, computer software assistance, and hardware trouble shooting and even such things as how to start an online business.
Medical & Health Care Facility ServicesThis is where someone will set up a complete online pharmacy and the services related to this type of business will be offered to online customers. Such businesses will provide customers with medical consultancy, selling of medications and other medical charges. If you look further into this line of business, you will find that there are several medical institutes who can franchise a person to run a virtual medical and health care facility for them.
But besides the ones mentioned above, there are many other kinds of online businesses around, such as entertainment websites, home decoration, dating, article writing, fitness, allergies, online chat and interaction and email servers are just some. But no matter what type of online business (“niche”) it is you decide to get involved in, it is important to plan carefully and have the ability promote the business professionally over the internet.
1. Choose a niche and then specialize in it. Do not think that you are going to make big bucks by selling everything under the sun (unless you are using Ebay, but even this is getting more competitive today).
2. Choose or create a product. You can either use affiliate products or create your own.3. Probably one of the most important things to do when setting up an online business is to find a good name. It should be short, easy to remember and reflect what your business actually does. Your domain name is the name by which your online customers will remember you by. A good domain name is one that is memorable, short and easy to spell. There are many websites around offering domain names, and prices can start for less than $1.
4. Get your own website. Do not go for a free page on some affiliate site, but get your own. It is much easier to do than you think. Get some hosting (there are plenty of companies on the web today offering their services). Then buy a template system if you can not program (again take a look around the web and you will soon find plenty of companies offering web templates). Now all you have to do is start learning how to use it. However, if you are not technically minded then you will need to hire someone to handle all the technical aspects of your online business. This could include such things as building your website for you, the handling of your website hosting and the setting up of any domain names that you may require.
5. Always look for a secure and reliable host service provider. It is important that you examine the “uptime guarantee” that each service provider offers. Also, analyze the physical infrastructure of where your online business will be stored. But probably most important of all is that you should scrutinize the hosting providers “Back Up” and “Data Security” systems. This includes calculating how much time would be required to reinstall your online business if there was a complete infrastructure failure on the part of the hosting provider. This will help you to calculate the least possible loss to your business if such a situation arises.
6. Build a list. This is important so that you are able to repeatedly talk with visitors to your site. It is important that you keep the visitors updated as to what is happening with your site. This also enables you to contact them numerous times regarding whatever offer(s) you wish to present them.
7. Look at the ways in which you will handle the payments made by your customers. If you are selling an affiliate product, then this will not be a problem as the affiliate program will handle the payments for you. However, if you are selling your own product, then you will have to set up your own payment processing system. This will be looked at more closely in another chapter of this book.
8. Look at the ways in which you will arrange for goods to be delivered to your customer if selling your own products. You must look at local courier companies, as well as the postal service and find out which will be more cost effective for sending goods to customers. Also, you will then need to decide on the pricing system for the sending of packages to your customer’s. But it is important that you choose a shipping company who you know is going to be reliable. Look especially at those companies who offer an online tracking system.
You could start off by looking for free domain names. Because there are so many companies around who are now selling domain names, the market has become quite competitive. But there are a few sites around that will register a domain for you at no charge. However, there is a catch with some of them in that they will set themselves up as the administrator for your domain and then only transfer ownership to you after a set period of time for free or will charge you a small fee.
If you are going to be setting up and launching a website, but do not want to pay the $20-$40 a month that you can typically charged for hosting, then don’t. There are plenty of places on the web today that will host your site for free. But before you get too excited about this prospect, it is important to remember that there is a drawback to be had from using such places. Most of these free host sites will place a banner at the top of your pages for allowing you to do this. However, there are some web hosts around who do not charge you a fee or force you to have a banner on your site either. While there are others who will remove the banners completely for a small fee each year, which is nothing compared to what you would pay to get someone to host your site for you each month.
What if you are someone who does not have their own product to sell, but still wants to make money online? Then look no further than becoming an affiliate marketer. This we will look at more closely in the next chapter of this book.
Many times you will have seen previously in this book we have mentioned affiliate marketing as a great way of setting up an online business. During this chapter, we will provide a more in depth look at what it is exactly.
Affiliate Marketing is a method of promoting a product in which an affiliate is then rewarded for every visitor, subscriber, customer and/or sale provided through their efforts to the actual company selling the product. The compensation or commission that an affiliate gets may be based on a certain value for each exposure, visit (pay per click), new customer (pay per lead), sale which is usually a percentage of the item sold (pay per sale or revenue share) or it may be a combination of any of these.
Many companies like to use affiliate marketing because they do not incur any marketing expenses unless the desired result is realized.There are also some e-commerce sites around today which run their own affiliate programs, while others use third party services. These provide intermediaries who will track traffic or sales that are referred to them from their various affiliates. There are many businesses online today who owe much of their growth and success to the use of affiliate marketing. It has been especially successful for small and midsize businesses on the internet.
We have now looked at what affiliate marketing is, now let us look at some reasons as why it is a good type of online business to set up.No Production Costs
With an affiliate program, production costs are no longer an issue as the product has been developed and proven to be good. Best of all, it has all come out of the merchant’s accounts and not yours.
Do not need a lot of money to set up.
All you will need is a desk, computer, internet connection and word processing software to get started.
Normally it is free to join an affiliate program, and all the set up costs and shipping costs will be met by the merchant whose products you are selling. Plus, as you do not need any where to store goods, this is another reason for joining an affiliate program. So even if you happen to live in a 1 bedroom apartment, you can still sell the biggest products going as an affiliate because all the goods are held by the merchant you are working as an affiliate for.
Choices
There are thousands of products and services that you can choose from. So finding the right products for either a website you have already or one that you are planning to build is immense.
No need to have a Merchants Account
This can be a time consuming and costly expense for anyone setting up a business for the first time. Certainly, it is even more so where an online business is concerned. However, as an affiliate, the merchant you are selling the product for will bear all costs, as well as handle the processing of all payments. So you never have to worry about any potential charge backs, fraudulent purchases or losing your merchant account completely as an affiliate. Plus, no longer will you be concerned with collecting and storing names and addresses of customers along with their credit card details, as this is all done by the merchant who you are affiliated to.
Probably one of the best things about affiliate marketing is that you can make money while you sleep.
Another benefit to get into affiliate marketing is that if the product you chose isn’t making money, then you can just dump it. Remove any links to the product and then start promoting another instead. This is because there are no long term contracts which bind you to selling one particular product, so the risk to you is minimal.
If you work hard at affiliate marketing, then the potential to earn a good income is high. It really depends on just how much you want it and how much effort you are wi