Internet Marketing & Home-Based Business

Posts Tagged ‘online store’

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.