Internet based business questions

Hello I have some questions regarding an Internet based business.

(1) How do I setup, or were can I purchase a Shopping cart? (I will create one if my budget doesn’t see fit for purchase.)

(2) Do I need any type of vending license, or legal papers to start an Internet based business? (I will be selling general items no adult content.)

(3) How do I setup a pay page? What I mean is how can I receive payment from consumer, CC, Check, etc. Also what would be the cheapest way to set this up?

(4) Were can I trademark / copy write material and do I really need to?

(5) If anyone is familiar with XML Could you create a sample site map, which I could modify to fit my pages? (Traffic / Google)

I know I am asking a lot here but I just recently became disabled and I really need the extra income. If there is any additional information you would like to add to help me on my quest please do so!

Thank you very much for your time and effort in this matter and helping others that have the same questions.

 

Welcome to DP!

One of the free open source shopping carts is probably your best bet.

I've used zen cart and oscommerce and both are highly customisable and fairly easy to work with.

http://www.zen-cart.com/modules/frontpage/

http://www.oscommerce.com/

I think that depends on the type of business and the state in which you're doing business.

If you go w/ one of the carts I mentioned above, you will find they they both have multiple options for this.

Need more info for this and I'm probably not qualified to help anyway.

Check out this forum for a bunch of solutions:
http://forums.digitalpoint.com/forumdisplay.php?f=62

 

Sorry to hear about your condition.

If your webhost has CPanel, I believe it comes with Agora Shopping Cart. You can make use of that.

I've heard of many webmasters use 2Checkout as the payment gateway. It has a $49 setup fee and they charge transactions separately. www.2co.com
I believe they would have a payment page. You can also check out paypal's offerings.

Check out www.creativecommons.org

Check out http://www.google.com/webmasters/sitemaps/docs/en/overview.html
I have no idea how to create one... maybe another member can help you out..

Good luck!!

 

I think you may be too ambitious. my recommendation is to start simple and gain some experience first. for example, find a good product or program and try to promote it and earn some extra money. along the way you will learn a lot and find out what will be the best for you.

 

@Diamond
I really can’t sit around and wait it’s either I find an extra income soon (next few months) or I maybe out on the street; it’s to that point now.

“for example, find a good product or program and try to promote it and earn some extra money.”

Since you posted the above I take it you know a lot about these programs? Could you post some good programs that actually work and aren’t a gimmick? I have tried some and they just seem like a waste of time.

@ All
Thanks for the very prompt and helpful post’s. If I have anymore questions concerning this subject I now know were to post them. I’m glad to see that people will take a few minutes out of their day to help another.

 

For trademarks, it is best to hire an IP lawyer.

Only you can answer the question of should you or shouldn't you. If you have something actually worth protecting, then yes you should.

 

Start by thinking about yourself and your interests, hobbies. Maybe you have a special little interest or niche that people would want to research more about. Then build a little site around it and either sell some products yourself or be an affiliate, or both.

It will take time though. There are no quick schemes out there unless you are sitting on some huge database of email addresses and some unique content or product to sell.

 

I hate when situations like this arise. Because making money online isn't a simple or easy thing to do. It's a pain staking and time consuming task. It takes a lot of knowledge of how to market. You can have the best product and website in the world, but if you can't market it, it won't do jack squat. There are literally thousands of people each day, who throw in the towel and quit because they can't sale their product/service/information online. They just haven't the experience to do it. It takes a lot of trial and error, studying, and experimenting to find a method that works.

The worst part of it is. I'd be afraid to recemmend you do anything, because it sounds like your in a bad financial position right now. Pretty much anything you try to do online, is going to eventually cost money. Whether that be registering a domain name, paying for web hosting, or advertising through Paid Per Click or purchasing a mailing list and sending out postcard advertismetns.

There are sites that have turnkey businesses, that are easy to install and get up and going. But they still take a lot of time to start having traffic and making a sale.

I hate to say this because I'm no longer a fan of Ebay, because they just don't have very good rates anymore. Their rates are absolutely to much. If your hard up for cash, you might be able to fin things around your house you could sale on Ebay. It'd be the quickest way to make some mula pretty quick. I don't know what kind of stuff you might have around your house. If you have DVD's. You could try selling them on Half.com. If you have some collectibles, records, or anything of that sort. You might put them up for auction on Ebay. That's really about the quickest way I know of to sell stuff.

 

"The worst part of it is. I'd be afraid to recemmend you do anything, because it sounds like your in a bad financial position right now."


Yes I'm in a very bad financial situation right now, but please post your suggestions anything and everything could help.

I can get a domain name for what about $10.00 max every 2 years? A webhost would probably cost what, $10.00 a month? I don't have a clue how much CC and check processing would be. Use zencart as a shopping cart. I can make the whole site myself, and if I run into any problem I'm sure I can come here or go to another Forum for advice. Towards marketing I figure I can target my area with flyers etc, that should draw some traffic.

I'm still unsure about what kind of site I should make, a site were customers can purchase items, or a site that has alot of content and ads.

I have a ton of old papers and other things I have written that i can use as content, I'm just not sure if it would be worth the work.(Windows Security, Sex, Dating, things of that sort... maybe 50-60 pages total as of now.)

I can also buy and ship products after a customer makes a purchase.
It seems theres so many ways to "make money on the internet" that i don't know what path to take.

Any more suggestions would help! marketing tips w/e.

Thanks.

 

First and foremost you need to get down on paper the minimum amount of money you can survive on, and THAT is you target earnings. If you don't do this you are not focusing, and there is every possibility you will end up on a wild goose chase and homeless. As money is desperate, you can not afford to enter into a reactive marketing campaign in the short term. You are going to have grasp the nettle and be pro-active. See below!

DWM, get a domain name and you can host it on my server for free for 12 months. Within that period you will know if your making it or not. I have Cpanel and Fantastico on there so you will be able to install loads of software at the click of a button without worrying about anything.

Your disabled right? So how about building a site for others in your position. Where do YOU surf? wheat sites do YOU get information from? Where can disabled people park locally to shop? what services are available? Build a site like that, you will then be able to get local newspaper coverage for free because of the site and your situation. Newspaper coverage = traffic, traffic = money if done right. Once you gt this set up approach local businesses to sponsor sections within your site.
This is pro active marketing and if you handle the marketing of the site properly then advertisers will be happy to chip in. Here is the tick though (and I am speaking from experience here as I started business with this model many years ago, & have repeated it time and time again). You MUST get your rates low, to the point of throw away. You mentioned a throw away rate in your post " $10 a month".

I mentioned above your minimum survival earnings. Take this figure and divide it by your sponsorship rate Taking $1000 a month as a bare minimum @ $10 you are going to need to get 100 sponsors!

For this to happen you need the following,
1) potential sponsors - if there are not enough local businesses then you are going to have to rethink, if there are ample then your quids in!

2) sections of the website for them to sponsor. - This is the trick of marketing and where your specialist knowledge comes in. Disabled people are your target market, so your going to need enough areas for 100 advertisers (I am working with the $1000 here so this is obviously exponential) . Sit down and write out what areas are available, as an example

computers sale and repair
isp
dating
home deliveries of
food (pizza etc)
groceries
disabled goods
opticians
anyone that offers a home service (hairdressers etc)
herbalist
alternative therapists
Masseurs
Physiotherapists
Hypnotherapists
the list is endless.

Here is a top tip for you though. When you contact a sponsor, offer them as much space as they want to write articles about their specialist subject . e.g let the herbalist write how herbalism can help certain ailments.

By doing this you are in fact getting your advertisiers to write your copy for you Not only will this release you to market the website, it will also ensure you get high quality copy written by specialists. The sponsor gets to paint themselves as the expert in their field, and you have the perfect symbiotic relationship. (I built my businesses on symbiotic relationships where everyone wins).

The moment you hit break even, you are in Gods pocket, as now with people paying you the $1000 a month via the 100 regular bank payments of $10 you are fairly bullet proof and can relax and REALLY start to develop your product. Continue to do this until you have a monthly income of 150% of your minimum, then and only then should you consider developing re-active schemes.

I would however have adsense on there from day 1 , and also I would build a mailing list fro day 1. You can use this mailing list to make a weekly newsletter to let people know what new sponsors/ businesses have signed up to you for that week. This is also a massive selling point to the sponsors. In your weekly newsletter have the facility for articles. If your getting 10 sponsors a week then obviously only one can be the main, but list the other 9 with an intro into their article, and a link to their page . This will drive traffic to them.

I could go on and on here, but I think I have given you enough to get your act together and put together a business that can work.

One thing though, if you are expecting to slap an affiliate site online, and sit back and watch the money roll in, then you are going to find yourself in the gutter with your pipe dreams (sorry to sound harsh, but you sound desperate, and I feel honesty is best )

Cheers
OWG

 

I would like to start out by thanking you, this is the information/help I was seeking, although all information in this thread has proven to be helpful as well.


"minimum amount of money you can survive on"

I would have to say currently and with some thought to the future $1,200.00 .


"get a domain name and you can host it on my server for free for 12 months."

Thank you, when you say free you do mean free? I will get a good domain name. I do reside in the U.S.A. will that be a problem with hosting/domain? I only ask because I browsed your site and it stated you provide services to whales etc. I will need some time to get relevant content, and some other things sorted. Can I contact you via e-mail and would there be an address you would prefer me contacting you at?


"Your disabled right? So how about building a site for others in your position."

Yes I am, and I would love to build a site with that type of content. Helping myself and others in my situation or a similar one, would be great.

I will compile a list of local services available to disabled peoples, while keeping potential sponsors in mind. RUFF example: Don't put a pizza delivery name, #, URL, or address on the site if they may sponsor. There are alot of local businesses in my area so i don't think getting some sponsor's would be a problem.

For the time being I will compile a list, think of a domain name/check availability, and do some other tasks.

Then we can go from there, Sound like a plan for now?

I will await your reply!
Thanks again.

 

Free - http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...5-16,GGLD:en&oi=defmore&defl=en&q=define:free

Yes I will set up a hosting account for you for free, as above I have pm'd you my email address.

Another piece of advice is that some businesses will be happy to sponsor sections that are not commercial. A local bank for example will often be happy to sponsor any section as it gets it publicity via press releases.

Don't get 100% focused on only having paying sections, in order to get natural backlinks (where people link to you without your requesting a link), build sections there that have no commercial benefit. Like a set of pages linking to other voluntary organisations on a themed basis. They will not pay to go on there, but other groups will learn about your site, and people will link to these pages at every opportunity. This drives traffic and will help your site to climb the search rankings. You could even contact each charity/group and offer to put up some content provided by them. Again this is getting others to write your copy.

Oh One last thing,

These are Whales

This is WALES


Wales is a country Whales are big Mammals I know I a little nuts, but not even I would choose to work inside Whales.. far too much of a fishy & Plankton stink in there

 

@OWG I was thinking along the same lines. He should try to use his situation and leverage it. What better thing to do than try help other people who are disabled webmasters (or disabled and wondering how in the world they could survive online)? He could start right now with a simple site and blog as he (assuming a he) learns along the way.

@Disabledwebmaster - This is a great niche and you would get good conversions since you would have credibility and personal experience with the products/services you are recommending. I even see potential for some sort of motivational e-book down the road.

Go for it and keep asking questions - there's lots of people here who can help you spending 2 minutes giving a tip here or there, and look for other forums as well.

Good luck,
Peter

 

There has been some really good advice above.

Start small, don't overload yourself with expenses you don't need (you will need domain name and web host but shopping cart etc. can wait).

Think of holding a garage sale of sorts on Ebay while you sort out the web site stuff but try to sort out the things that will be easy and cheap to ship -- do a lot of comparison to see if it is worthwhile for you.

Also signing up to be an affiliate with ClickBank might be a good option for you. I think that is free (someone correct me if I'm wrong--it only costs money when you start selling through them, right?) and they offer a huge range of products you can promote.

As mentioned above--focus! Concentrate on one area that you feel confident in and have a lot of information to share. That can help you with a lot of free promotion.

Good luck!

 

Yes it's free to be a CB affiliate. Most networks don't charge for you to become an affiliate. Merchants pay a signup fee and the big money for the affiliate networks is in the transactions since they take a % of the deal from the merchant for handling the purchase payments, managing the affiliate network and consolidating payouts. Merchants that don't want to outsource all this get their own in-house systems (hosted, or installed affiliate software) and keep the cut for themselves.

 

please post your domain. I would be happy to link to it from my sites.
I think that would be a great niche as, I imagine, disabled people probably spend more time on the web than others.

 

asr_guy thanks for the domain name tool.

footodors thanks but i don't have a domain yet. when i get one I will pm you.

@ all thanks for the post's/info.

Here are a few ideas i have/got so far, please let me know what you think. This is a tough job in sorting out what to put up, domain name, layout, I'm about beat. Please note, even in my situation (BROKE etc.) this is going to take me some time, keep in mind this is my first attempt at anything like this. Be gentle!

1:google adsense

2:mailing list. the mailing list will include events/sponser info/article/news about the site. (just a tease to draw traffic.)

3:events. post event's i know of in my area, and allow people to send events to me via e-mail. (content/relevant)

4:news. OWG mentioned RSS feeds. I was thinking of using the RSS feeds and my own news. (archive.) Please help me here in terms of news because i do want to target the disabled community.

5:Articles. well articles, I also want to allow people to send me articles they have written about there disability etc... (archive.) (content/relevant)

6:forum? any ideas comments?

7:Text only website?

BTW should i go with a .org or .com? I'm asking because most users type .com regardless.(guilty) I'm also thinking in terms or value/worth.

I'm still working on a layout/idea's etc. I have a layout a friend sent me, and it's very professional. I just don't think it's very viewable for my audiance. I've tried changing the colors but then it doesn't look right. So i still have a full plate but i think its coming along in terms of ideas. Why build a website 10 times when you can build it once?

comments are welcome.
Thanks,
DWM

 

Go deep before you go wide. i.e. just get going before you get bogged down in trying to guess what's best.

Get a domain, get a hosted account with "one-click" install of a blog where you can post your diary. The pm I sent you includes mention a hosting service with free one-click install of Word-press.

I'm not sure if that blogging tool complies with standards for the disabled.

When your domain is up, post the link here so some of us can link to you. At least that way the search engines will start noticing you as it can take a while to build the traffic. Once the blog is up and traffic starts coming in, the visitors and their comments/questions can help guide you to where the needs are.

 

Thanks for "slowing" me down some I needed it, I was going insane trying to think of everything at once!

I will get a domain as soon as i can, and we'll go from there...

OWG has offered to host me for 1 year, "one click install".

Thanks,
DWM

 

For templates you might like to try www.oswd.org/ (open source). Unfortunately the site is down at the moment, I'd expect it to be up again soon. I think OWG's advice and offer to you are fantastic. If you do a google friendly (ie no sex/gambling/illegal) site then I'll be happy to give you a one way link. PM me when you get your site up. good luck
Deano