The Online Business Starting Point

Most of the people who are interested in starting their own business and opt for online business, do not know where to start. There are many questions related to the starting point in online business. Such questions would be:

-Where do I start looking for an online business idea?
-Where do I start learning about marketing online business?
-Where do I start looking for online advertising media?

Then most people will go for the search engines and start typing in what they are looking for, hoping that they will find something that will suit them. There is nothing wrong with this methodology. The problem here is that in most cases people do not really know what they are looking for.

In this article we will try to give recommendations and guidelines on the things that a person should be looking for when searching for the online business opportunity he/she would be most relaxed with.

In a previous article titled "Choosing An Online Business Is A Tricky Business" we categorized the different types of online businesses a person could be involved in. We will not repeat them but our advice is to begin with one particular type and then move to the other types when the person feels relaxed with the idea on online marketing.

If a person is totally new to the idea of online business he/she should start with an affiliate program. An affiliate program is one that allows you to sell other people's products and services in return for a commission. Yet a person should not be involved in just any affiliate program. There are special requirements that a person should be looking for in an affiliate program if he/she is still new to the idea of online marketing.

We will look list and explain each one of these suggested requirements:

1-Design and setup your own website: There are a lot of affiliate programs out there that give you an assigned web page that you can promote. Although it is a very good feature that saves you the hassle of building your own web pages, yet it is limited in the ways you will be able to market it as most online marketing media do not accept affiliate pages. Therefore, you will need an affiliate program that incorporates setting up and designing your own website; in addition to advising you on the hosting service provider you should get. "Your own website" means that you should own the domain name. I have written a complete article about the benefits of owning a website with comparative analysis with the option of not having your own website.

2- Provide a systematic training: Most affiliate programs provide you with what they call marketing tools. But if someone is new to the internet and to online marketing, then there is no way that he/she would be able to use those tools effectively. Therefore, the affiliate program that you should be looking for is one that has a systematic and detailed training that can take you by the hand to show you how to promote your business.

3-Systematic and not individualistic support: Most affiliate programs depend on the sponsor support for their team. This system is very weak. This means if the sponsor is away, ill, vacationing or for any reason cannot and would not answer the support questions, the sponsored team is lost and cannot proceed with their business. The affiliate program that you should be looking for must have the following support levels:

a.Sponsor Support
b.High traffic and high quality forum especially dedicated for the particular affiliate program you are thinking of promoting.
c.Help Desk

With this system a person might not even need a sponsor support.

I have heard many recommend having a mentor that will be able to teach all the ins and outs of online marketing. I completely agree with them, but would not include it in the above criteria. The above criteria are recommended so that a person can examine any affiliate program against. Thus, they will facilitate for anyone the decision making process for choosing an affiliate program to work with. Therefore, a mentor is not a must have in affiliate program for the newbie. Still, I would highly recommend searching for and getting a mentor, as a mentor can act in many dimensions especially on the motivational and technical aspects.

Selecting the right online business

Selecting the right online business is the key to being successful on the internet and generating passive income.

There are a number of things a person should know when trying to select the right online business. Namely, that it takes time and effort to find a business that will be profitable and attract customers. Consequently, one should take their time when selecting one.

Research

Finding the right online business takes research, and therefore it should be a person's top priority. When doing research look to see if the business or product has the potential for long-term growth and to generate passive.

Do not opt for business trends or products that may offer quick money in the short-term but quickly runs out of steam in the long-term. Also, look for an online business that is fairly established but has plenty of potential.

Remember that online businesses are like any other businesses. It takes time, and work to be able to attract customers and generate profits.

Customer

To have a successful online business, especially one where you want to make passive income, you will need loyal customers. Customers look for businesses that offer them high quality products, good customer service and consistency. Why consistency? Because it breeds trust in customers. They need to trust that their product will arrive on time and in the way they ordered them.

When looking for an online business make sure you have a product(s) that customers will want.

Product

If you want a successful online business that will generate you passive income, pick a product that you believe in. Also, the product cannot of inferior quality because in the end it will cost you money, potential customers and time.

When choosing the right online business look to see if it has potential. If it does ask yourself "How much time and effort will it take from you to make a profit?". Your answer will determine if the business is right for you.

Hours

When starting a business on the internet it is usually advised to not quit your day job. This is important because it will take awhile to generate enough income to live on. Consequently, a person needs to be clear on how many hours a day or a week they can devote to their online business.

The right online business for you might be one where you don't have to put that many hours in the beginning.

It is best to be honest with yourself about how much time you can put into the business. If you are not honest about it then you might pick a business that require more hours then you can give.

Know what your goals are, whether those goals are monetary or personal. If you know your goals then you can select the right online business for you.

Competition

Before selecting your online business make sure that it can compete with other business of its type. Is there enough room for your business? Is there a niche that your competition is not seeing that maybe you do, which will be profitable for you? These are important things to consider when selecting an online business.

Passive Income

Most owners who own an online business want to make some kind of passive income. The best way to do that is pick the right business (product) for you and has a potential market. Membership sites, software, shopping and information products are the best way to go when wanting to generate a passive income through online business.

However don't take my word for it or anybody else's for that matter, do your research, ask for help, and set some goals.