No one needs an MBA to find out how to build a website and start running a profitable online business.  In fact, you can find just about everything you need to know for free on the Internet.  On the other hand, there is the old expression, “you get what you pay for.”  The time may come when you’re ready to move beyond the basic practical steps you need to keep your business going.  When you do, you’ll find yourself in a position to grow your business in ways you hadn’t thought of before. Read the rest of this entry »

Like anyone else, you have your favorite websites.  Have you ever looked at them critically to find out why those websites are your favorites?  Chances are, competing websites offer you the same resources and services as your favorites.  Why do you stick with them?  Usability probably has something to do with it.  Want your customers to mark your site as a favorite?  Then make sure it’s usable! Read the rest of this entry »

You may continue to see news and blog entries touting the end of email now that so many people are turning to social networks and smartphones.  Experience, though, may have taught you to be sceptical of exciting, grand announcements that seem counterintuitive.  Still, stranger things have happened.  Is it time to ditch your autoresponder system?  What does the research say? Read the rest of this entry »

You may have been hearing about “Cloud” computing.  You may even have seen offers for services to take your business into “the Cloud”—some for free, some for small, monthly fees, and some for quite a bit more.  Descriptions of “the Cloud” you find in the media can be, well, cloudy.  If you’re using cheap web site hosting for your business, though, you’re already in there.  How much further into “the Cloud” you’d like to go is up to you. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the many advantages of choosing to start an online business rather than a brick-and-mortar business is the expense.  Online businesses have little or no overhead, no real-estate to manage, and few (if any) employees.  There’re no commuting costs, either, if you’re starting your business from home.  The major costs you’re looking at are the technology and the software.  The cost of technology is falling all the time—which is great.  Even better is the fact that an enormous amount of software is now free. Read the rest of this entry »

Google Buzz is here—should you care?  You may well wince at the thought of adding another social network to keep up with in the name of online marketing.  Or you may be wondering if you can stick your head in the sand and skip this one, hoping that it goes the way of MySpace and Second Life.  But, after all, this is from Google, arguably the biggest gorilla in the room.  With Google’s history of innovation and market dominance, will it be long before Buzz knocks Facebook and Twitter out of the picture? Read the rest of this entry »

Once you’ve figured out how to start an online business, you can exploit the many ways there are to promote it, such as blogging.  Blogging raises your business’ search profile by proliferating your keywords.  It also builds customer relationships.  This is especially true if you’re passionate about what your business offers. Read the rest of this entry »