Jon Smith - Start an Online Business in easy steps: Practical Help for Entrepreneurs

So you want to run your own online business? This chapter will explore whether youve got the determination to succeed, help you assess in which areas you may need assistance and empower you to ask the right questions.

The media loves to over-simplify online success stories and if youve watched the news or read a newspaper over the last fifteen years youd be forgiven for thinking that all you need for a successful e-business is a garage, an internet connection, an idea and within a matter of months youll be selling the business for millions or floating on the stock market

It seldom works like this. Although you will need a place to work (a garage is fine, or a kitchen table will do) an internet connection and an idea, a whole lot more goes into getting an online business off the ground and into profitability. There are numerous pitfalls to avoid and a lot of knowledge that you must gather and apply to ensure that your online business not only starts, but succeeds.

Start an Online Business In Easy Steps will show you how you can be one of the success stories rather than one of the statistics. How you can get your idea to market quickly, which features your website should include and how to market your website effectively. Whether youre intent on working full-time on your business from day one, or whether youre looking to improve your work/life balance and secure a second income, this book will walk you through the steps to creating and running a sustainable and profitable online business.

The key to a successful online business is a clear, straightforward plan, a determined entrepreneur at the helm and a dogged determination to succeed. If the answers so simple, why is there any need to read on? Well, paradoxically building a successful online business that is both clear and straightforward is difficult and fraught with problems. Not in terms of coding or development issues; but because we like to believe that everyone thinks like we do. They dont.

Your online business needs to appeal to customers and clients possibly from a whole variety of countries, age groups and social demographics. If youre venturing into retail, then you will also need to appeal to your potential suppliers and manufacturers.

Planning a business is hard work be prepared for late nights and frustration.

Whatever your online business, you need to stand above the competition and give your website users a very good reason to become consumers. It doesnt stop there; once theyve bought from you or used your services once, you need to get them back again and again and for them to tell their friends all about you

Life is all about learning. The resources listed in are there to help you.

So how do you use this book? Well, you wont go far wrong reading it from cover to cover. Alternatively you can dip in and dip out depending on which stage you are at with your online business, it really doesnt matter. The structured approach contained within is there to guide you through to online business success. Even if your budget is modest, implementing just a handful of concepts from this book will improve your online business and will help you realize your ambitions.

Good luck on your new, exciting adventure!

Who can start an online business? The simple answer is anyone.

This book is intended for entrepreneurs, employees, employers, mums, dads, students, existing website owners, in fact anyone interested in starting a business online no matter what their level of experience. It is for the non-techie who wants to be involved with every facet of setting up and running their own e-business this book will show you how to research, prepare and run your own online business and will also give you the tools and the confidence to be able to explain to other staff members, clients, potential suppliers and of course customers, about what your online business is, and what it can do for them.