Being an entrepreneur can be lonely!  –Especially if you’re starting an Internet business after years of working in a large organization, surrounded by friends and co-workers with whom you could share your day.  Additionally, you may find yourself feeling like you’ve got no one to bounce your ideas off of or give you advice in your next business move, as you would if you were working for a company.  Social networking could be a solution for you—and not MySpace nor Facebook! Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re just starting out as an Internet entrepreneur, you may be looking for profitable Internet home business opportunities.  If you’re lucky, you already have an idea of a product or service to sell.  And if you’re smart, it will be something in which you are already interested and knowledgeable.  But what about all those ready-to-use instant business startups for sale on the Web?  Are they for real? Read the rest of this entry »

You can start your own business fast using the templates and other easy to use tools your web host has ready for you.  These are great, and take a load of your shoulders when it comes time to build your website.  Over time, though, you can really make your business stand out from others who use the same templates.  You can easily customize your web pages and let your individuality shine through. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the promises of running an online business is that the overhead would be low.  In particular, the online environment means that one of the greatest expenses in traditional business, advertising and marketing, would be minimized.  Online advertising and email marketing can be done for a fraction of the cost of advertising in print and other media.  But does it work?  Research continues to show that it does—now more than ever. Read the rest of this entry »

Whatever you’re selling online, the big retailers have an enormous number of advantages over you.  They can buy in bulk and offer cut-rate discounts.  They have advertising and promotion budgets that would dwarf your whole operation.  And yet, somehow, online retail businesses continue to prosper and thrive. Read the rest of this entry »

As an online business, your website is your storefront.  As such, you need to keep it fresh and interesting in order to attract and keep customers.  Discretion is the better part of valor, though.  When altering your webpage, make sure the changes are customer-centered and done for a good reason. Read the rest of this entry »

You may have seen chatter on the Web in the last several week’s about Google’s new “Personalized Search” and how it may or may not affect your website design.  Some are worried that the changes Google has made will have an effect on their rankings and, possibly, their sales.  These fears are almost certainly unfounded.  In the end, Google’s new Personalized Search may actually help. Read the rest of this entry »