Starting an Online Business

Where This Book Is Coming From

Online business isn’t just for large corporations, or even just for small busi­nesses that already have a storefront in the real world and simply want to supplement their marketability with a Web site.

The Internet is a perfect venue for individuals who want to start their own business, who like using computers, and who believe that cyberspace is the place to do it. You don’t need much money to get started, after all. If you already have a computer and an Internet connection and can create your own Web pages (which this book will help you with), making the move to your own business Web site may cost only $100 or less. After you’re online, the overhead is pretty reasonable, too: You may pay only $10 to $75 per month to a Web hosting service to keep your site online.

With each month that goes by, the number of Internet users increases exponen­tially. To be precise, in early 2004 Neilsen//NetRatings released data indicating that more than 74 percent of the U.S. population had access to the Internet at home. The Pew Internet & American Life Project reported that 39 percent of adults who surf the Internet do so with a broadband connection. We have now reached that critical mass where most people are using the Internet regularly for everyday shopping and other financial activities. The Internet is already becoming a powerhouse for small businesses.

So why wait to fall behind your competition? The goal of this book is to help you open your fledgling business on the Internet now. Let this book guide you through the following steps:

* Preparing a business plan, defining your target market, and setting goals
* Purchasing the hardware and software you need to run your business
* Making your Web pages content rich and interactive
* Reaching your customers through multiple marketplaces such as eBay, Yahoo!, Amazon.com, and your own Web site Marketing to customers around the world
* Creating a secure environment for shopping and receiving payments online
* Keeping your business records and observing legal requirements

What’s Where in This Book

This book is divided into six parts. Each part contains chapters that discuss stages in the process of starting an online business. There’s also an Internet Directory that you can access through this book’s Web site; it presents an up-to-date list of resources that are essential for any online businessperson.

Part I: Strategies and Tools for Your Online Business

In Part I, I describe what you need to do and how you need to think in order to start your new online business. The first chapter follows the story about how a business started by a graphic artist-turned mapmaker has grown into an Internet success story. Subsequent chapters also present case studies profiling other entrepreneurs and describing how they started their online businesses. Within these pages is where I also describe the software that you need in order to create Web pages and perform essential business tasks, along with any computer upgrades that will help your business run more smoothly. You also discover how to choose a Web host and find exciting new ways to make money online.

Part II: Establishing Your Online Presence

Even if you use an online service that isn’t technically part of the Web, such as America Online, you need to create a Web site — a series of interconnected Web pages that everyone in cyberspace can view with a Web browser. As far as online business is concerned, the Web is where it’s at. This part explains how to create a compelling and irresistible Web site, one that attracts paying customers around the world and keeps them coming back to make more pur­chases. This part also includes options for attracting and keeping customers, making your site secure, and updating and improving your online business.

Part III: Successful Online Business Models

Some of the most exciting new aspects of starting a business online are ways to generate sales revenue that don’t involve setting up your own Web site from scratch. Instead of going it alone, you sign up with one of the many well-established business marketplaces on the Web that enables individuals just like you to create storefronts or sell individual items. You find out about cre­ating storefronts on Amazon.com, Yahoo!, PayPal, and CafePress.com, among other venues. You also discover the ins and outs of starting a business on eBay, a marketplace that has changed lives and is quickly changing the landscape of online business.
Part IV: Running and Promoting Your Online Business

Your work doesn’t end after you put your Web site online or start to make a few sales. In fact, what you do after you open your cyberdoors for business can make the difference between a site that says “Wow!” and one that says “Ho-hum.” In this part, I describe cost-effective marketing and advertising techniques that you can do yourself to increase visibility and improve cus­tomer satisfaction. You discover how to make the shopping experience a smooth one for your customers, how to accept payments, and how to pro­vide good customer service. You also find out about new ways to increase visibility with search services such as Google.

Part V: The Necessary Evils: Law and Accounting

This part delves into some less-than-sexy but essential activities for any online business. Find out about general security methods designed to make commerce more secure on the Internet. I also discuss copyrights, trademarks, and other legal concerns for anyone wanting to start a company in the increasingly competitive atmosphere of the Internet. Finally, you get an overview of basic accounting practices for online businesses and suggestions of accounting tools that you can use to keep track of your e-commerce activities.

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Filled with tips, cautions, suggestions, and examples, the Part of Tens pre­sents many tidbits of information that you can use to plan and create your own business presence on the Internet, including ten hot new ways to make money on the Web.
An Online Feature: The Starting an Online Business For Dummies Internet Directory

If you’re running your online business in your off hours or between other activities, you don’t have time to scour the Web for help. Not to fear: You can find everything you need in this directory. It’s a collection of links to Web sites and other Internet resources of special interest to individuals starting an online business — especially if you’re working alone or at home and need to find people to help you. Access it at www.dummies.com/go/onlinebusinessfd. (On the Web site you’ll also find Bonus Chapter 1, which details ten ways of ensuring online success.)
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