Using technology as a business tool...
How to earn a buck on the web. |
Using technology as a business tool... How to earn a buck on the web. |
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Regardless of how it starts out, it seems that everyone is trying to figure out how to earn a buck on the web. Some folks ask me to help them build their website simply for fun, or the learning experience. Others start out building a web site as an income producing vehicle. I've been involved in many business ventures over the years, as an owner, manager, sales person, employee. I know of a lot of folks who make a few bucks off of a hobby, and other folks who work out of their house that pull down 6 digit incomes. Websites are no different that any other business. If the main purpose of your website is to earn money, then you need to think long and hard about the number one rule of business: Nothing happens until someone sells something. That's not to say you can't take a "just for the fun of it website" and make some money from it, but have your goal clear in your mind so your site doesn't get too muddy. There's a few web sites out there that started out small, and are now pulling down big bucks, but that's the exception not the rule. Keep in mind there are many new "E-businesses" like etoys, ebay, amazon.com that have been created out of the new free enterprise system on the net. There are millions of websites making from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars a month, all hoping to be the next amazon.com. It's not different than the millions of sales people in the world, there's quite a few working hard to make ends meet, and a small handful pulling down six and seven digit incomes. With a lot of hard work, and a lot of determination, and a bit of luck, many websites will make it to the "big time." With a website, like a business, there will many determining factors to success. Will you use your website simply as a brochure or catalog to suppliment an existing business? Or will you set it up as a stand alone online store? Will you simply offer information online, and try to sell ads or related products as a sales affiliate? Do you have any real gauge of number of visitors you'll be able to draw, or how much does each visitor spend. As your costs of keeping the web site running increase, what will be your break even point? If it's a free website will they kick you off if you generate too much traffic? If it's not a free web site, at what point does the price you pay for increased band width kick in? Keep in mind simply building a website, or even building a website that generates heavy traffic, is any guarantee you'll earn a dime. My point is not to scare you away from online commerce, but to get you to realize that a website can be a business, and like any successful business, knowing your marketplace, and careful planning are the keys to success. In most "traditional" businesses, a business track record isn't even considered until it's been around at least a couple of years. Hard to believe this whole business of business on the internet is just starting to take off, with e-commerce as we now call it, having it's first real money making year in 1998. As the internet grows, there will be more and more affiliate programs offering products to sell. There will also be millions more websites available to sell those products. The good news is, it's a free enterprise system at its best. While the competition will increase, right now, this is only the beginning. If you really want to learn more how to earn a buck on the web, check out the webmaster pages: |
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