Doing Business Online

Six months or a year later they are still surfing and hopping from program to program - and as we all know - a rolling stone gathers no moss. Disillusioned, disappointed, disgusted and often losing a bunch of money along the line, they give up. And they say - "This online stuff does not work".

Well, most of this online stuff DOES work, but like ANY other business out there, you will not succeed if you have no idea where to begin,how to lay out and action a successful business marketing plan, and acquire the needed skills.

So let's tackle this one mouthful at a time - it's the only way to eat an elephant.

"Where do you begin ?"

I see two basic approaches, both valid, but dependent on your business model. With some business models you can use both approaches.

By the end of this step, while you have been exposed to products and business models - the thing that you will have to decide on is your approach - before continuing with your business plan.

FIRST APPROACH.

With this approach you will typically already have a product and / or a market in mind that you are keen on. You will not be wanting to go through the creative and research process to select and choose a market or niche.

You will select your product, and then decide which business model to use to sell it.

With this approach, you will typically have to drive traffic to your website, which is usually a paid option - whether it be in time or money.

SECOND APPROACH.

Do market research first, test for traffic and conversion, and only when you are happy with the results will you decide on what market or niche you will want to do business in. You will then choose a product and lastly select a business model.

This approach, while more technical in nature, is great to develop as a skill. It takes more time and more effort, but the rewards are great. With this approach, you are seeking organic, or free traffic from Google and search engines.