How did you guys get started?

I want to hear how you guys got started doing business online.
my story is too long and crazy ... but I may tell it if enough people post here

Tell us what got you going,


Mike

 

The WWW is like the "Wild Wild West", man that is cool, even the same letters are used.

In the beginning it was like that, take a shot, win the lottery, but as you get into it you find you need investors, programmers, managers, writers, graphic designers, so there is a lot to making it a success. You also have software and equipment investments to make and you have to run it like any other business, you have to make money to keep going.

Not an easy task to make money online (in business).

 

Yeh, I started this by myself but things never really took of until I teamed up with some great people who helped make this happen!

 

Who's your team ? Maybe they can help me out too .

 

The Digital Point team

You are at the right place, just make friends with the forum members and you might find the help is right before your eyes, RIGHT HERE

 

I am still trying to get my online business started. The software program that I am creating has about 200 different program modules and has already taken me six months to create. I am currently finishing intergrating all the modules and then I will have to spend another few months beta testing. I hope all this hard work pays off.

 

1997, built my first site for my first company offering multimedia design services. Very successful until 9/11 when many businesses were lost in the training industry.

I'm trying to veer away from the service (programming, web design, multimedia design) industry and more into sales/affiliates. I make good money with my service oriented businesses, but I'm tired of always working, short deadlines, customers lined up, etc. I want to work smarter, not harder.

My goal for this year is to focus on building sales based sites that can generate good income.

 

I agree 100%. There is absolutely no better community online where a new person can learn. this is a prime example.

happy B-Day DP

 

haha I feel you, I hate dealing with ignorant clients. I am now focusing on forums, our new directory, creating power sources to fuel future projects rather than spinning my wheels with one un-apprieciative client at a time

 

Hey ST, what is with the double posting, trying to make Shawn mad today

Yeah, that thread was a good example of someone getting help here at DP, but any thread with CrazyRob and ST would be half assed decent anyway, RIGHT

 

When I first started in webhosting in 1997 and was around truly geeky people, I took on massive amounts of info. I was amazed at what people were doing (and weren't supposed to be according to the company contract). While I didn't get started immediately running a business (that contract scared me and I didn't want to screw up the job which was excellent, altho I did do some "free" stuff) I did get my own server and started learning administration from that end. In about a month I realized that working at home was *the* way to go. I left that job; went to another webhost. After a year there, they suddenly decided to go to a work at home format. I was the guinea pig. I loved it. By then I was running my own business; but on a small scale: my goal was not to compete with them or take business from them but mostly learning and can I do it? That job just simply turned to garbage; I quit and started concentrating on my business. Not getting rich; don't expect to yet. I'm also having fun with some affiliate programs.

 

I've only been doing this a couple of years now. I'm making some pretty good money mostly off afilliate sites at the moment, though I'm just putting the finishing touches to an online store. I'd advise that before anyone tries going it alone they make sure they have some cash saved up and have had a good stable income for a few months.

 

I got started in 95 when I posted a classic newbie site (the home page was a GIANT!! earth image) offering to do web site design for free.

The site got picked up by Yahoo's New Stuff page, and that led to a partnership with a guy who helped me with sales.

I couldn't get on a Yahoo New Stuff page now to save my life!

 

LOL 'good money off affiliate sites'..thats a phrase you dont hear every day

 

Well.. I started last Saturday.... lol.. I am actually suprised I have made a little money! I'm paying all my hosting fees, which isn't much, but it's growing everyday. I can see as I learn, there definately are a lot of opportunities for those that do what others aren't willing to! I have had tons of help from many of you in this thread and some that aren't. This site has been a great resource for me and I thank everyone for treating me like a human even though I am a noob...

 

Yeah I don't hear it everyday, but I can read it often here at the DP forums.
We are making "good" money off affiliate stuff now as well.

We started way back in the late 1900's and started with an online store where us two people did all the work.

Before that I worked for a web hosting company at home doing tech support.
It gave me a chance to become very familiar with the Internet and it's interworkings. Plus I had a lot of free time to learn by using with Photoshop, Dreamweaver, HTML, and the like. That's where my taste of working at home came from, now I want it always.

We did the services type web site, then got bored with that, went with an online store, got tired of treading water there, and now we are doing mainly affiliate and adsense and are growing at a good pace.

Digital Point has taught me so much, whether it's directly, or it sparked my interest in something so I could researched it more.

Now I'm at a 9-5 coorporate job that pays the bills, and the wife is at home working away so we can both work at home sooner than later.

 

OMG...Such Great...your Mabel's sight is sooooo cool!



My Internet business history...ugh....LOL

I have ALWAYS wanted to work for myself. I went to art school on purpose so I could avoid getting a useful degree.


I spent way too much time online while in college, and once told a good friend that "I must find a way to make money doing this!" My family is full of entrepreneurial types so I was pretty familiar with what makes businesses tick, and somehow I found myself mentoring startups on different message boards. One thing led to another and I was soon running a privately owned (by me ) trade group for gift basket retailers. That was mostly based on facilitating networking and industry education, but I also coordinated some great merchant service discounts and setup a marketing program similiar to FTD.


That biz actually did really well, but I ended up selling it because "life" kicked me in the butt and I need to take time off to take care of myself. Anyway, I was a one woman show running the association and I did all the web design, maintenance and marketing for two sites. I started getting referrals for web design and business consulting from that...and here I am today.


Like Sitetutor I also have several websites I'm working on publishing, though I have a number of volunteers who help me with that.


I still prefer to be a one woman show....so no fancy offices and employees for me. I like working from home, taking breaks in the garden, and sharing projects with other cool freelancers. The hardest part in all of this is taking time off!

I'm totally addicted to this stuff.

 

Tell me I'm starting good threads, Kat. I need to hear it ... from YOU

 

We are glad you are here DS, just stay away from TOOT and you will be fine

 

LOL


ST, dude....this thread is a rip off of my Web Site Addicts Roll call.

You know it!!!