STEPS ON HOW TO START A BUSINESS ONLINE

According to Forrester Research retail sales rose 2.5% in 2009. While that is surprising enough, consider this: Online sales rose 11%.

If you are looking to start a business, even a part-time business, you would be hard-pressed, in this economy, to find a sector growing at an 11% clip. Forrester forecasts that e-sales in the U.S ,Nigeria and the rest of the world will go from about $173 billion this year to about $250 billion in 2014. That's booming China kinda growth my friends.

So the answer is yes, starting an online business is a smart move.

Here are the pros and cons:

Pros: The cost of entry is low; you have access to global markets; it is an automated, 24/7 profit center; you can look every bit as big as the big boys; the overhead is low (more on that in a minute); and the profit potential is large.

Cons: It takes work to get people to learn of the site; there is no personal contact as with a retail store; creating credibility (and thus customers) can be a challenge; it takes time to get things really cooking; and customers cannot physically see or feel your products.

The pros definitely outweigh the cons.

Here are 7 Steps to Starting an E-Commerce Business:

1. Create a great site: This is No. 1 for a reason. You have to have a great-looking, intuitive, easy-to-navigate site if you are going to be taken seriously by potential e-customers. Your site must look professional. Pictures and content must load quickly. There can be no dead links. Have a robust "About" page.

The good news is that it is easy and affordable to create a great site – look for online hosts that have pre-made templates you can customize.

Web surfers who come to your site will judge it in about three seconds. That's all you've got. You better impress them the moment they hit it.

2. Pick your products: I have a buddy who owns an antiques store. His business success motto is: "It's all in the buying." He knows if he can find the right product at the right price, he will make a profit.

The same is true for you.

Where do you find great, inexpensive products? It depends on what you plan to sell. It may be a matter of spending weekends at yard sales and on Craigslist picking up some good, cheap stuff. If you want a more formal arrangement, there are wholesalers and distributors for almost any product you need.

3. Have an online catalog or store: When you shop online, there is usually a catalog of products to choose from: Tiny pictures with product descriptions. That is what you have to do. Happily, you do not have to create this from scratch. Your e-commerce site host (see below) will offer a store creation tool, with point-and-click ways to add products, pictures, and descriptions.

4. Have the ability to process payments: This issue is two-fold: The financial ability to process credit card payments comes when you have a merchant account. Search for that term online. The physical ability to process such payments is, again, something your host will offer. Search for "online merchant services" or "E-commerce hosting."

5. Market and promote your site: All these steps are important, but this one may be a little more important. People have to find your site. No matter how nice it looks or how cool your products, if no one knows about the site, it is a waste of time, money, and effort.

Master search engine optimization (SEO) techniques. Engage in viral marketing. Tweet. Have a Facebook fan page. Try pay-per-click. Advertise.

6. Fulfillment: You have to deliver what you sell, on budget and on time. Don't forget to add the cost of shipping to your prices.

7. After-sales support: How will you handle returns? What should you upsell? Support is the difference between a one-time sale and creating a customer for life.

by VICTOR OSAKWE ESQ

WHERE TO MAKE MONEY ON-LINE

Did you know that there are many ways that you can make easy money? You will probably not be making thousands a week, but enough to pay off at least one bill. You will not make money by sitting on your couch and wishing for it to fall into your lap.

1.forex trading:
 forex gives you an opportunity to rely on a falling on a rising market to make tons of cash. You can start your career in forex by visitting some sites like babypips.com to get the basis and training. It is equally amazing to note that you can trade forex without a dime you can do this by participating in a forum that pays you some money per post which can be used for trading forex, to register in this forum,  go here.
making money is so amazing with the right information.


2. Take clothing to a Consignment shop
Some of us don't want to go through the hassle of taking pictures of our items, setting up an account, determining the auction amount, shipping, etc. For those of us there are Consignment shops in just about every neighborhood. These shops buy your gently used clothing from you. All that you have to do is make sure that your clothing is clean, ironed and presentable. They will look through all of the stuff that you take them, and probably not buy everything you take. When they decide what things they are going to buy from you, they tell you how much it is worth and give you cash right on the spot. Don't expect to get $80 for a shirt that you bought for $100. They will probably give you $10 for it, but remember, the money adds up with all of the stuff.

3. Turn in your bottles and cans
Instead of throwing away your aluminum cans and plastic bottles, throw them in a container to save. Most states give you money for turning these recyclable items to them. You can get from 5 to 10 cents for each bottle and can, depending on which state you live in. You might be thinking that you will never get any kind of real money by doing this, but do the math for a second. Let's say you have a family of 5, and each of you drinks one water bottle a day. That will be 5 bottles a day, 35 bottles a week, and 140 bottles a month. Let's say that your state gives you the minimum of 5 cents per bottle. You can get an extra $70 a month just for saving those bottles instead of throwing them away.

4. Write articles for Associated Content
If you like to write on your spare time, you can turn your hobby into cash. You simply need to write original articles and submit them to associated content. You can get from $2 to $8 per article. It might sound like a small amount, but if you can do at least 3 articles a day, you can be making a minimum of $6 per day to pay for extra things. $6 a day will give you $168 a month, and that's pretty good money to have on the side.

5. Offer dog or babysitting services
Day care for children and pets are at soaring rates these days, and most people cannot afford the high prices during these tough economic times. This time is the perfect time for you to help others and yourself. You can spread the word to your family and friends that you will be able to sit for their children or pets whenever they would like. You can tell them that you sit for late hours (past 5pm) and weekends. It is very hard to find a daycare with these types of hours and dates, and surely people will be thrilled to know that you offer this service. Be sure to tell the people you know that you can take care of their pets when they go on vacations too. They key thing to remember here is to charge less than your local daycares. You can have an established, well-reputable clientele in no time.

6. Do chores for a family member
Sometimes family and neighbors need help moving furniture, cleaning, etc. Find out when they will need help for these chores and set up a fair hourly rate with them. You can even set up a weekly schedule where you do a weekly chore and get paid every two weeks. This is a win-win job because you are earning money while helping others, and both of these always feel good.

7. Have a garage sale
You most likely will not sell everything you put up on eBay or take to the consignment shop. Put all of these unsold items together, and set up a garage sale. You can do one once a month so you can give yourself time to gather up a decent amount of items. Post signs at the entrance of your neighborhood informing people that you are having a garage sale. Inform your family and friends, and also and tell them to spread the word. This is a great way to earn a decent amount of money in a few weekends.

8. Ask someone for a small loan
If you really need money quick, you can ask for a small loan. This will most likely be your last resort, but sometimes tough times call for tough actions. It might be hard to ask for money, but remember that the worst they can do is say “no.” It might take you some time to swallow your pride and come up with the courage to ask, but if it is a good friend, they will be more than understanding. We have all been through a time like this, and your friend will know that too.

Of course these are not the only ways to make quick cash. There are millions of other ways, and you can even come up with some new ways of your own. The world is full of these small opportunities, and you will only benefit from them if you take them up. I know that these will not give you a 3 figure salary, but they will give you enough to pay one or two bills a month, or to put money in a savings account. The more you do the more money you will get!