Starting and running an online business can be exciting and engaging.  You may be left with little spare time as you enthusiastically dive into a new venture.  In the fun of starting up, it may seem hard to imagine that you’ll ever get to a place where you can relax and enjoy running your business on a routine business.  Nor should you!  People who settle into a routine are sometimes left behind. Read the rest of this entry »

Hot on the heels of reportage that, for the first time, online ad spending is passing print ad spending, cell giant Ericsson announced at the CTIA Wireless show this week that mobile data usage is surpassing mobile voice usage.  In other words, people are beginning to use their mobile devices for texting and surfing the Web more than they use them for talking on the phone.  What does this mean for you as an online business owner? Read the rest of this entry »

I am crazy about the mobile life.  Smartphones, laptops, and WiFi are the Keys to the Kingdom as far as I’m concerned.  I’m no longer a faceless drone in some giant organization, and I do not spend 8 hours a day trapped in a cubicle.  Life is good!  But this freedom from routine brings its own challenges.  Finding a place to work is among them. Read the rest of this entry »

When you’re thinking about how to make a website, typical concerns include questioning how the website will display in different circumstances.  Will it show up on Firefox as well as on Internet Explorer?  What will it look like on a smartphone?  And how fast will it load for those without broadband connections?  Thanks to the spread of broadband access, that last concern is starting to lose its urgency.  But the continued use of dial-up access does give you pause to think! Read the rest of this entry »

Setting up an online business is no problem.  Affordable web hosting, affiliate programs, web templates, and other easy-to-use and affordable tools are lined up and ready to go.  What should you sell, though?  That’s a trickier question.  You want to make money, but not at the expense of your happiness and sense of fun.  You want to indulge your passions, but not get so wrapped up in them you lose sight of your customers’ passions.  Can you find the balance between these two extremes? Read the rest of this entry »

Advertising is serious business—but it can also be an exciting and fun part of business, too!  And keeping advertising fun and exciting can be a key towards long-term success and avoiding burnout.  Affiliate marketing is a great way to advertise effectively, and the best part is that you’ll be advertising online during 2010: a great year to start! Read the rest of this entry »

Anyone and everyone is interested in using Search Engine Optimization  (SEO) to show up higher in Google and other search engine results.  Study after study after study shows that, however many millions of hits a search engine lists, consumers routinely choose to go with websites that are within the first several listed by the search engine.  So, how can you learn more about SEO, and how can you use it to get your page listed right at the top of the search results pages? Read the rest of this entry »