How to Start an Online Business in 2023from Home
Choose to Start! How will you begin?
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Choose to Start Now!
It really isn’t hard at all!
Starting an online business from home is easier than you might think. The hardest part is just making the decision to do it.
It may seem like a monumental decision, but once you get going, it becomes so much easier.
You just need to start!
Find a Niche & Fill a Need
Make a Website ASAP
Once you have found your niche, it’s time to make a website. It’s not hard to do. In fact you can create a beautiful starter site in less than an hour for less expense than a nice dinner for two.
Buy your Own Domain Name (Web Address).
Make sure that you get your own domain name (website address). Not only is it unprofessional to have a web address with someone else’s domain name (like www.yoursite.google.com), but you’ll also lose any links to your site if you ever decide to get serious and buy a domain name for your business.
Check out Namesilo.com for cheap domain names that also have free privacy included so that you don’t have your name and address published all over the web. I’ve yet to find a better deal so check it out.
As for website builders, don’t go with a random one, or one that just has good advertising. Most services end up being quite expensive, and have caveats that limit your ability to move away from their paid builder if that’s what you decide to do in the future. Some even control your email lists!
If you do have extra money, or want extra support setting up an ecommerce store or sales funnel, Shopify and ClickFunnels can be an excellent and super-fast way to set up. I do however always recommend starting with WordPress, or at least keeping your main blog and website located on your own WordPress site.
Whether blogging or starting a business, WordPress is an excellent site builder with lots of flexibility, and you own everything that you create with it. It’s easy to learn, free to use, and the best option for those who want independence from high monthly subscription fees.
Over 60% of websites today use WordPress, and 30% of the top 10 million! And it’s plugin Woocommerce, powers over 30% of e-commerce stores.
WordPress’s popularity speaks for itself.
You’re Going to Need Web Hosting as Well.
A web host is the place that you’re going to set up your website at. They’re usually not very expensive, and they often have a very good deal for the first period that you sign up with them for.
The best place to set up your WordPress site when your business is just starting out is A2 Hosting. They have great customer service, top BBB ratings, speedy servers, and are quite reasonably priced.
If you can afford it, and have a large website, or just want the best, you can go with Kinsta or WP Engine as they are designed for large websites and businesses serious about the quality of their services.
Don’t wait to get your website, start one as soon as you decide on your niche and pick out a domain name. You won’t regret it.
Need Help Making a Website?
Learn how to set up a professional website step by step. Small easy lessons designed to get your website up and running with no stress and in less than 10 minutes a day.
Learn about Sales Funnels
Converting your readers into paying customers can be easy. Learn the basics with a free Clickfunnels trial.
What is a Sales Funnel?
A sales funnel is really nothing more than the path which you direct your customer to take from start to finish. Your website is just one part of that path.
A successful sales funnel will start with advertising or some method of grabbing a potential customer’s attention, and then convincing them to buy something from you.
For example:
A Facebook ad draws a user to your website where they read an article.
The article convinces them to sign up for a free ebook which you offer them, and they sign up for it and your weekly newsletter. Soon your newsletter tells them all about how they can solve their problems by using a product that you happen to sell.
And then they buy it!
First, Find Something to Sell
After you find a promising niche, and hopefully one you’re passionate about, then you need to find products or services that you could sell to that market.
You have two choices when deciding what to sell online. You can sell your own items or services that you will provide directly to your customers, or you can sell other businesses items without actually physically owning them (affiliate marketing and drop-shipping). Selling other people’s items can be easy, and relatively risk free.
You could perhaps sell one item, or if you use the easiest and least risky two methods of selling online from home (affiliate marketing and drop-shipping), you could have several items to promote on your website even when first starting your business.
Selling your own original idea or invention is hard. New ideas take work, money and time to design and develop. And once it’s ready to sell, you still have to get people interested in it enough to buy it. This usually means more money for lots of advertising.
If you have a “one of a kind” idea, that’s great! You might be able to do it, people might be interested in your spiffy new business. But expect to invest time, money and stress into it, and be prepared to fail.
Consider Your Type of Online Business
Two great ways to start selling online are to either become an affiliate marketer, and/or a drop shipper. Both methods only require a website or some other way of selling the products. There is no inventory or production fees required to start.
Affiliate marketing is where you market someone else’s product in return for a commission. With a website, this work’s by placing a special “affiliate link” on your website, and if someone buys something from that site after clicking on your link, you’ll get a commission.
Drop shipping is a method where you as the store keeper sell items that the manufacturer will ship directly to your customers for a fee. You don’t have to buy anything ahead of time, and there are no storage fees to set this up. The only thing that you need is a website, and a shopping cart such as WooCommerce or Shopify.
The kinds of businesses that work well on the internet include:
- Freelancer
- Blogging
- Email Marketing Lists
- E-commerce Store
- Sell on Amazon/Ebay/Etsy
- Membership Sites
- Digital Products – Create ebooks, pdf’s, e-courses
- SaaS – Create software as a service
- Vlogging/Youtube
- Social Media Marketing
The above types of businesses are just fine individually, but are also great in used in combination. You can do affiliate marketing in your blog, and also on Youtube. You can sell items in your own online store, and also on eBay, Etsy or other large e-commerce outlets. Start with one method and expand to others as your time, and resources allow.
Want to See How a Sales Funnel Really Works?
Gain the skills you need to make high converting sales funnels for your new online business. A free trial with Clickfunnels is a great way to learn how to quickly design a profitable sales funnel for your website.