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Starting a business online - an e-store, for example - does not mean instant success. Some things to consider before starting an online business are the same things you need to think about before starting a regular business.
Let's say you have an example for an online catalog. Some things to think about include:
1. What kind of products will you offer? Have you already researched the market for these products? Who else is selling these products?
2. Who is your target market? Who will buy these products, how much do you think they will spend and how often will they come back to buy more?
3. Where will you obtain the products you will sell? Will you produce them yourself? Are you relying on a manufacturer?
4. What is your price point? That means how much will you charge for the products? Are they high-end or cheap for a fast sale?
5. What is your break even point? How many items will you have to sell before you begin to turn a profit?
6. How will you build an online store? Will you use something like Yahoo! Stores or a software package? Will you turn to a Web developer?
7. How much will it cost for you to get your online store up and running? A solution like Yahoo Stores may have a low cost of entry but you end up paying a percentage of every transaction for your store. Paying a developer may be more of an expense than you need when starting out.
8. How will you handle fulfillment? Are you really planning on mailing each product to every customer? Or will you turn to a third party fulfillment house? Or go for the drop-shipping solution straight from the manufacturer?
These are only a few of the things you need to ask yourself before opening up your e-store.
Starting small and growing as demand grows is a smart strategy. Using Yahoo! Stores or eBay or another established Web store or selling site can let you give online selling a try before you spend too much money only to find that your product doesn't sell.
Aliza Sherman is an e-entrepreneur. Although she doesn't have an online store with products, she works online all day and does make a living!
