Pitfalls of Starting An Online Business

by James Anderson

So you want to start and own an online business? Well, you are not alone because millions of people dream of early retirement with a mansion in the hills believing they can get rich by starting their own business. You have dreamed of starting your own company where you can set your own hours, work from home, pick up your kids from school and be there for them when they are sick. Of course, the downside is that you end up working on weekends and late into the evenings and there is no sick time or paid vacations. If you think that running a Web-based business is easy then you have a big surprise coming. Starting an internet business requires a lot of hard work and dedication to make it successful. The best way to learn to do a business is to watch other successful entrepreneurs and build awareness for your own ideas.

One mistake people make in starting their online business is to rush in and sign up with some “get rich quick” program they have seen advertised. There are plenty of companies that offer to help you to start your own online business and handle everything for you. Don’t be tempted by the cleaver marketing because they are happy to take your money. For example, there are scam artist that get you to sign-up with a turn-key online store and charge you a monthly fee to receive their services. They give you the impression that once they set up your Web pages and online store you pretty much sit back and let the money roll in. If only life was that simple we would all be millionaires.

The scam artist who promise to set up your new online business prey on your lack of computer knowledge, programming skills or not knowing where to start to sell you a worthless package. They promise that you don’t need to do anything except pay the initial setup fees and they will get your store online overnight. While some of these companies are legitimate, many of them are not and they will sell you the same storefront loaded with worthless products that no one wants to buy.

Another problem with the complete store solutions is that you become nothing more then a commission sales person for someone else business. Also, you have the same looking store, selling the same products as millions of other people. It is not surprising that you will sit around all day twiddling your thumbs and never make a sale. However, the scam artists have already taken your money so they don’t care if you make a cent.

The biggest mistake that most new internet sellers have in common is that they try to offer everything under the sun. You need to pick one niche market and focus your efforts to promote that item instead of scattering your efforts in multiple directions. Before selling anything, you need to know your audience and understand your market. By taking the time to learn about the products or services that you are offering you can create a site that builds credibility. That credibility builds trust for your customers.