Many aspiring entrepreneurs are looking to the Internet as an opportunity to get rich quick, instead of a place where you can start a business you love, for very little capital and minimal technical expertise. The reality is that if you build a business you love, you may in fact make big money, but if you start a business to get rich, you will probably fail.
In my experience, there are good reasons for starting a business, and good ways to go about it in the new online world, but even entrepreneurs with good intentions often don’t have a clue on key principles to follow for this rapidly changing platform.
The best place to learn is by scouting around the Internet today. See what other people are offering, and think about a niche where you could be unique, and have some fun at the same time. There are also many other good sources of guidance, including the classic book “Click Millionaires” by Scott Fox.
He addresses the dream of many to be a dot.com billionaire, but emphasizes the need to start with an assessment of your own goals and interests. Starting an Internet business is a new lifestyle, so you need to understand the implications. On the business side, I am adapting here his seven success principles, too often overlooked by people who leap before they look:
-
Find a niche to help real people. Look for real problems to solve, like losing weight, staying healthy, or gaps in a popular product line. “Nice to have” sites like Facebook and Twitter look attractive, but they are much higher risk, and a thousand fail for every one that succeeds.
-
Position yourself as an expert. People tend to buy from people they perceive as “experts.” Expert status is no longer a formal degree or certification. Today it more often means a “trusted friend” who seems real, visible, and doesn’t “push” products. Don’t hide behind a website with no address, picture, or direct contact information.
-
Automate to the max. Take advantage of software tools to automate routine business functions, like taking and delivering orders. Provide website forums to help customers solve their own problems. Use free e-commerce software and services like PayPal before building an expensive customized solution. Generate revenue around the clock.
-
Use the Internet to outsource staff. Hiring virtual assistants for each specific project can be a lot more efficient and cheaper than hiring and managing employees. Start with sites like Elance.com and Guru.com for specialized tasks you can’t do yourself. Pay others to handle small stuff, and keep your time available for bigger priorities.
-
Let your audience help with content creation. Audience contributions, like product reviews, discussion board conversations, and comments on your blog are invaluable because they create more credible content and attract more money from advertisers. Even more valuable are success case studies and testimonials.
-
Define a business that is scalable. First, pick an opportunity that has a worldwide appeal, like eco-friendly products. Then implement automation on production and tracking so you don’t need hours of manual work on each order. Finally, use customer feedback or promotions to attract more and more customers with less and less effort.
-
Focus on recurring revenues. A great way to make more money more easily online is to replace one-time sales with automatically renewing subscriptions. With a stable base of subscribers, this can mean a continuing revenue stream from newsletters, support, or advice on demand.
Even with all this, don’t expect it to be easy. Unreasonable expectations lead to frustration and giving up too soon. Remember, being an entrepreneur is a lifestyle, one that requires constant learning and problem solving, and that’s half the fun. The other half is doing what you love to do, and possibly even making lots of money.
