My Online Business Adventure

If you are worried about the recession, bored with your job and wondering how you are ever going to make enough money to live the life you want, you may have wondered about starting up an online business. You are not alone. With the growth of the internet, more and more people are finding that there are many opportunities for anyone to make extra pocket money, create a full time income or build a fortune. So, what do you need to start a small business online? Here is my ‘no nonsense’ guide:

1. I’ll start with the obvious. A computer with internet access is pretty important. You don’t have to have the latest model with lots of bells and whistles. However, if you are going to do this full time, you will need a broadband subscription and an email account.

2. A budget. This is literally whatever you can afford. The beauty of an online business is the start-up costs are extremely low compared with many other types of business. If you are starting with affiliate marketing (which is a very good place to start), many programs are free to join. However, I would recommend that you do set some money aside for the following:

• Website hosting. Although many affiliate programs give you a web page with youraffiliate links automatically inserted, mostly these are not your own to change. You really do need to set up your own website that you can personalise and add your own unique content to. One company in particular does provide you with this for free (you just pay for the hosting at $25 per month). See the advert on the right.

• Upgrade fees. In order to receive the best commissions all free programs will encourage you to upgrade to paid status. You don’t have to do this straight away; in fact it’s usually best to wait until you have a few affiliates of your own and you feel more confident about the program before doing this. Upgrade fees are not always that expensive. They can start from around $6 per month up to several hundred. Just go with the ones that you can afford. SFI is one of the most popular and longest running ‘free to join’ affiliate programs.
• Autoresponder fee. Experts will tell you that it’s extremely important to build a list that you can send a regular newsletter to and build trust and confidence. You can set up an autoresponder for free (for example at GetResponse.com) but you usually get a better service as a paid member (fees start at around $18 per month).

3. Time. If you are starting off while still working at a full time job, you will need to prioritise and set aside at least a few hours per week to work on your business. Coming to it now and then when you feel like it won’t do. It will take a regular commitment to get things going.
For the moment that’s all you need to think about as far as the practicalities and expense go. Of course, you need to find the right home business for you (my website will give you lots of ideas for affiliate marketing) and it’s a good idea to shop around and see what suits you first.

In my opinion, however, the most important point to consider when starting an online home business, is attitude.

Many people think that finding the ‘best’ program or product is the only thing necessary. They soon find out the hard way, that there is a lot more to it than that. How you think, what you believe and the way you communicate can make all the difference between success and failure.

So, What Attitude to you need to start a small business online?

Here are my big three ‘P’s:

Positivity: A belief in yourself and an optimistic attitude towards your business that will keep you motivated when the going gets tough, as well as a positive attitude towards your downline AND you sponsor.

Passion: Enthusiasm and excitement for your business and the products and services you are selling will go a long way. No-one buys from someone who is indifferent.

Patience: You will need this in the beginning. You need to be looking at your business as a long term commitment and not to expect to get rich within the first few months. Be willing to learn as much as you can in this starting off period and apply your learning step-by-step.

That’s just about it. I really don’t think it’s a lot to ask for. When you think of what’s needed to get a high-paying job, or set up a retail store or other kind of business, the requirements for starting an online business are pretty low.

Think you’ve got what it takes? You can start here.

Ros Bott

Financial Freedom Online

Tags: online business, starting an online business, what do you need to start a small business online

This entry was posted on Friday, June 13th, 2008 at 9:12 am and is filed under Career, Working at home, affiliate marketing, internet marketing, network marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.