Internet Marketing & Home-Based Business

Archive for the ‘Business Opportunity’ Category

Here is the second video preview of my upcoming online store training course. It’s a video showing you what your end-result store could look like, and some basic features it will have. Watch it, then head over to Online Store HQ.

Learn ecommerce the easy way. Head over to Online Store HQ and check it out!

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to work at home, or at least generate some extra income on the side? I thought so, too, and so I searched for ways that I could do that. My first idea was to sell goods on eBay. Unfortunately, that’s just too expensive for someone with no budget. After doing some research, I decided to start my own online store.

The problem I had with eBay was that I had to pay every time I listed a product. It didn’t matter if it sold or not – I still had to pay the listing fees. It wasn’t long before I started to feel those fees adding up. I asked myself if there was a way to have products for sale online without having to pay money to offer those products.

This gave birth to the idea of my own online store. It wasn’t long before I had one up and running. I was surprised by how easy it was to get going, but I was disappointed in the sales. So I dug deeper, and did more research. Before long, I was making money. I had my own home-based business that generated cashflow with only a little bit of work each week.

It’s not exactly easy, but it’s not really hard, either. Running your own online store can be a great way to earn a little bit of extra money on the side, and then – if you want – grow that side income into a full-time revenue stream.

Running an online store is how I got started in doing business online. Actually, it’s how I got started in business all together. I wasn’t happy with my career, so I started to look for a way out. I wanted to stay at home with my newborn daughter, and still earn enough money to support my family.

If you are looking for a home-based business, but you really don’t know what to do, or where to start, try running an online store. It’s fun, it’s interesting, and the rewards can pay for a new toy, a vacation, or for the future growth of your business.

Here are some tips to help you get started.

1) Create a store using open source software. Your online store doesn’t have to break the bank just to get it online. There are free software solutions out there that rival those costing hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

2) Sell products that you like. While there are valid arguments for selling certain products based on their own inherent “sellability,” I recommend starting out with items you personally like. That way you will be interested in what you are selling. This will make it more fun, and could make you more successful, too.

3) Learn everything you can about running and marketing an online store. There is a lot of information out there, and you have to sift through it all to find tools and techniques that will work for you.

4) Don’t give up! You might go for a whole year without having a single sale. I went six months before anyone would give me money for what I was offering. I made some mistakes early on, but I learned from them, and learned how to do the right thing. If I can learn how to sell stuff, you can too.

Starting a home-based business is a great experience. I highly recommend it. If you are having trouble deciding what to do, try starting your own online store. It only takes a little bit of work to get it going, and the rewards can far outweigh the investment of time and effort.

To get a jump-start on learning how to create and run your own online store, check out Online Store HQ.

These days, a lot of people are looking for a way to make more money to supplement their shrinking paycheck, or just to start a company of their own. I’ve heard so many people voice their concern about the economy and their complete lack of security when it comes to their own paycheck. Many of them are looking to the Internet for financial freedom.

As many of us have learned by now, the Internet is not some gold mine just waiting for us to grab our riches. Get rich quick schemes are just that — schemes. There’s no easy path. There aren’t any magic formulas. But don’t worry. All you need is a plan, a direction, a little business sense, a bit of training, and you can get started.

When I first got started with my own Internet-based business, I chose eBay. My brother had said something along the lines of “start selling stuff on eBay,” and the idea was born. Long story short, eBay turned out to be expensive. I looked for another route.

I thought, “I could just sell this stuff on my own website and not have to pay listing fees all the time.” I started an online outdoor and survival gear store and I was off.

Money Pouring In?

So many people have this vision of making money on the web as being a no-work cash machine. To be honest, that does happen from time to time. Someone gets a really good idea, then they get a really good marketing plan for that idea, and they make money hand over fist. It’s not the Internet that made that possible, but the great idea and great marketing.

I didn’t make any money at the beginning. I didn’t know what I was doing. I had no real sales training at that point, and no experience. I had more of an “If I build it, they will come” attitude. Well, this isn’t Field of Dreams, and no one bought any of my goods. But then I learned.

I learned how to market, I learned how to build a site that was targeted and easy to use. I went through all the mistakes, spent a lot of money, and failed over and over again. I did all of that, and now you don’t have to. You see, after all those failures and missteps, I started to make some sales. I started to figure it out. Now you get to learn from my mistakes and successes. You don’t have to pull the year-long trial and error adventure that I did. You get to start with a guide for doing it right the first time, and doing doing it all on a shoestring budget.

Online Store HQ

I want to tell you about a new site and a new course I’m building right now, with a launch date set for Aug 1, 2009. Head over to Online Store HQ to get a little preview and sign up for the advance notice mailing list. The course will teach you how to start and run an online store using free, open source tools, and then teach you how to market it using new media such as blogs and podcasts.

The course itself will consist of an ebook guide, and audiobook companion (for you to listen to on your iPod at work), and video training. I haven’t settled on a price yet, but I do know that I’ll be taking pre-orders at a HUGE discount. So get over there, sign up now, and get advance notice of the deal when I finally decide on a price. Don’t wait around, because it will be just a very short window of opportunity.

Here’s the teaser page: Online Store HQ

Starting an online store is a great way to get started with Internet business. It has taught me a lot about running a business and marketing online, and that experience has helped me branch out into other online business opportunities. Start an online store. It’s a great learning experience, and it can be great fun, too.

Check out Online Store HQ now, sign up for the deal alerts, and take that first tentative step toward the lifestyle you want. Because that’s what this is all about…the lifestyle you get with professional and financial freedom.  Sign up today.

Based on my own observation, it seems that may people don’t want to just jump into a business. They seem to want to slide in, gradually transitioning from one career to another. There’s nothing wrong with that at all. It’s what I did.

If you are interested in photography, and have thought about starting up your own photo business, I have some good news. You don’t have to wait around while you slowly build up enough capital to invest in thousands of dollars worth of equipment.

You can get started with your own photography business with the same digital camera you’ve got now. Follow the link below to learn how:

Start a Photography Business

As promised, I have reviewed The Rich Jerk’s ebook and audio commentary. Get it because it’s inexpensive (cheaper than most business books, but actually capable of helping you produce results), and good. It’s not the most informative ebook I’ve ever read on internet business and marketing, but it’s not meant to be an all-inclusive how to do everything book.

The Rich Jerk states as such in the book. Basically, it’s a short, quick guide to making money online, without all the fluff. It’s short enough to read in one sitting, so, theoretically, you could download it, read it, and start implementing it’s advice all in one evening. The audio commentary (an optional upgrade) is quite beneficial. Areas of the book are explained and examples given to clear up any confusion or head off potential questions about an area of the book.

This book isn’t for everyone, and it’s not meant to be. Nor will everyone want to use all of the techniques The Rich Jerk talks about in his book. But that’s OK. Pick and choose a couple of items / techniques from the book and get started right away.

This ebook is cheap, and if you upgrade to get the audio commentary (which he may discontinue at any time), it still costs less than most new-release DVDs. So, buy a new DVD or buy a book that could change your financial outlook for years to come? Two hours of fun, or what could amount to years of constant cashflow. Which one do you think I would pick?

The bottom line is that the book is inexpensive and packed with some easy-to-implement ideas for making money online. Buy it, read it, and then do it. The worst that will happen is that you hate it and get your money back. The best that can happen…?

Click here to order.

Forex is short for Foreign Exchange Market. It’s basically a currency market where traders trade currencies around similar to trading on a stock market. Not exactly the same, but similar. See wikipedia for a more detailed explanation of forex trading. You will also see some interesting numbers if you scroll down a bit on the page.

Can you make money on the forex markets? I bet you can. If you pay attention to the news just a little bit, you will hear about the falling value of the dollar, the yen, or the rising value of the euro and so on. Stock traders make money, why can’t forex traders make some, too? I bet it’s quite possible, and even downright probable at times.

Click here to learn more about forex trading.

I bought The Rich Jerk ebook, and I’ll be reviewing it here after I read it. I glanced through it last night after it finished downloading, and it seems all right. I’ll read it over the next week or so and let you guys know what I think.

If for no other reason, you need to go to this site for it’s interesting approach to marketing. The “Rich Jerk” claims right at the top of the page that he’s “better than you,” a claim that made me smile.

He says that he’s going to show you how to make money, in simple, easy steps, unlike other work at home packages. I haven’t looked into his system yet, but I want to encourage you to follow the link and read the page. It’s pretty good stuff. And if he can show you how to make money, then consider it a bonus to the entertainment you’ll get from the site.

Click Here to view the page.

If you want to jump in the business of ecommerce, opening up an online shop might be the thing for you. Many successful (and a few flat-out rich) internet entrepreneurs got their start selling goods online. Some started with eBay, while others opened up a shop that catered to a niche they really like.

Think it’s too hard to start an online shop? Think it will cost too much money or take up too much of your time? I’d be lying if I were to say those questions were without merit. The truth is, it can be expensive, it can be hard, and it can take more time than there is in a day to get the job done.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. I’ve been selling goods online successfully for a while now. I started out really, really, really small, and have grown from there. Here’s what’s great about my experience: I started my business with $250. And almost half of that went to the cost of incorporating! So if you don’t have much money, you can still start your own ecommerce business.

The key to starting an ecommerce business with little investment capital is dropshipping. Dropshipping is simply offering goods for sale that you don’t store at your location. Once a customer places an order, you ship it to them directly from the wholesaler’s warehouse. People have been doing it successfully for years, and some have made millions at it. If you want to start your own internet shop, you should seriously consider dropshipping. You’ll be able to start a retail shop without having to carry inventory.

I found a resource for wholesale dropshippers. Check it out: Click Here!