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How To Start an Easy Online Business
By Courtney Rosenfeld – gigspark.biz
According to statistics, 90% of new American billionaires are self-made. That’s a pretty strong endorsement of the value of entrepreneurship. However, launching a new business may seem impossibly difficult to someone who has never embarked on such a project before.
These steps can help make starting your first business easy, presented by WritingConversions.
Choose the Right Business
Online businesses are some of the easiest to start because you don’t need to establish a physical location. If you have any skills you can market, such as writing, sales, or search engine optimization, you can start an online business built around them. If you want to sell products, you can take advantage of eCommerce platforms, such as Etsy, Amazon or Shopify, to open an online store without a lot of effort.
Set Up Your Website
Whatever type of business you decide to open, you need a website. Start by choosing a domain name that is memorable, easy to spell and unique. Once you have your domain name purchased, you need a place to host your website. If you want to save yourself effort, you can choose a hosting service that comes with tools that make building a site easy, such as Wix. Finally, you need to design your site or pay someone else to do it for you.
Get Funded
Many online businesses can be relatively inexpensive to get off the ground, but you will probably still need some start-up funds. Your savings are the easiest place to get some cash. You can also try borrowing money from friends and family, though if you go that route you need to make sure they understand the risk.
Business credit cards are another relatively easy option, though this method can be expensive. Most traditional lenders are hesitant to loan money to new businesses; however, you may be able to find a loan online or through one of the Small Business Administration’s programs. Finally, consider angel investors or crowdfunding.
Market Your Business
A good marketing plan can make or break a new business. Social media is an effective and relatively inexpensive way to get started. You need a well-designed logo for your marketing materials. Your logo is like the face of your company; a good logo helps you make a good first impression on potential customers, build brand recognition and stand out from the competition. If you can’t afford to pay a logo designer, you can use an online logo maker to do it yourself. All you need to do is choose a style and icon, add your text and then adjust the fonts and colors.
You may also want to consider creating a “doing business as” name for your company. This provides you more flexibility if the domain you want isn’t available or if you want to market some of your products as a separate brand.
Boost Your Business Skills
Successfully running even an easy business requires the right know-how. Consider enrolling in an online Master of Business Administration program. MBA coursework can help you grow your business, leadership, management, and strategy skills and improve your self-awareness and ability to self-assess. Online programs provide the flexibility you need to take classes and run your business at the same time.
While easy businesses can be challenging to run, the opportunity is within your grasp. Education and planning are the keys to success.