Many people have heard that you can make a lot of money by having your own online business and their first and biggest concern is how do I start an online business? This is a very good question and the good news is that it can be done in a few simple steps.The keys to achieving and enjoying long term ongoing success however are to continue learning more and better ways to improve and grow your business. This will help your business to continue getting better and better results, which will also allow you to start earning more and more money as well.One of the first things that you will need to decide on is which business model would you like to start with? For most people the easiest and quickest online business model to work with is an affiliate marketing business model. This will require the least amount of investment to start and has the potential for providing you with relatively quick results.This is the model that we will be covering in this article. However just about everything that you will learn for an affiliate marketer business model, you can also apply it to any other online business model as well.When looking to answer the question ‘how do I start an online business’ there are some key fundamental things that you should learn which will help you start seeing success as quickly as possible, things such as:How to do market research – this will allow you to check the profitability of any potential market that you may wish to pursue. You will also need to learn how to determine the strength of the competition that is already doing business in that market. If you find that the competition is too strong for new businesses, you can either pick a different market or find a sub niche, which is a smaller segment of that market.
keyword research – This is where you will want to identify ‘buyer’ keywords or the best type of keywords for your market. You will also need to choose keywords that do not have a lot of competition but that do get a good amount of search volume.
search engine optimization (SEO) – This will allow you to configure your site and your content so that they are search engine friendly. Which will allow you to rank well in the search engine results pages and get free search engine traffic to your site.- Site setup and configuration – This can be a very quick and easy process when you are using WordPress as your content management system. WordPress has made it possible for anyone to be able to setup and configure a fully functional online business website with little or no technical knowledge or background.marketing and promoting – This is one of the most important determining factors to your online businesses success. This should include everything that you learn about SEO, things like optimizing your content and link building however you should also be learning and using other forms of marketing as well.
For example you should also be doing social media marketing as well as email marketing and you may want to try search engine marketing or pay per click marketing as well.Now to answer the question ‘how do I start an online business’ here are the basic steps that you will need to take:1.) Make a list of things that you feel strongly about. This will help you to choose a business opportunity or market that you are passionate about and will enjoy working in.2.) Next you will need to do market research for each item on your list and select a potentially profitable market for you to start your business in.3.) Once you have found a potentially profitable market to start a business in, you will then need to do ‘keyword research’ to get a list of keywords that you can create your content around. This is how you will be able to attract interested visitors to your site.4.) Now its time to get your domain and hosting account setup so that you can install your site and load your content. Hostgator is a great provider for hosting services because they have very competitive prices and excellent support and customer service. And Namecheap is a great provider of quality service as well, for registering your domain.5.) The last step is to submit your site to the search engines and start your on going link building and marketing campaign.Initially this may seem like a lot to do but the key is to plan your work and work your plan until your online business is an online success. By doing this others will look at your success and then ask you, how do I start an online business, and you will be able to smile and confidently explain the entire process to them as well.
How Do I Start An Online Business And Make Money Online?
Alternative Financing Vs. Venture Capital: Which Option Is Best for Boosting Working Capital?
There are several potential financing options available to cash-strapped businesses that need a healthy dose of working capital. A bank loan or line of credit is often the first option that owners think of – and for businesses that qualify, this may be the best option.
In today’s uncertain business, economic and regulatory environment, qualifying for a bank loan can be difficult – especially for start-up companies and those that have experienced any type of financial difficulty. Sometimes, owners of businesses that don’t qualify for a bank loan decide that seeking venture capital or bringing on equity investors are other viable options.
But are they really? While there are some potential benefits to bringing venture capital and so-called “angel” investors into your business, there are drawbacks as well. Unfortunately, owners sometimes don’t think about these drawbacks until the ink has dried on a contract with a venture capitalist or angel investor – and it’s too late to back out of the deal.
Different Types of Financing
One problem with bringing in equity investors to help provide a working capital boost is that working capital and equity are really two different types of financing.
Working capital – or the money that is used to pay business expenses incurred during the time lag until cash from sales (or accounts receivable) is collected – is short-term in nature, so it should be financed via a short-term financing tool. Equity, however, should generally be used to finance rapid growth, business expansion, acquisitions or the purchase of long-term assets, which are defined as assets that are repaid over more than one 12-month business cycle.
But the biggest drawback to bringing equity investors into your business is a potential loss of control. When you sell equity (or shares) in your business to venture capitalists or angels, you are giving up a percentage of ownership in your business, and you may be doing so at an inopportune time. With this dilution of ownership most often comes a loss of control over some or all of the most important business decisions that must be made.
Sometimes, owners are enticed to sell equity by the fact that there is little (if any) out-of-pocket expense. Unlike debt financing, you don’t usually pay interest with equity financing. The equity investor gains its return via the ownership stake gained in your business. But the long-term “cost” of selling equity is always much higher than the short-term cost of debt, in terms of both actual cash cost as well as soft costs like the loss of control and stewardship of your company and the potential future value of the ownership shares that are sold.
Alternative Financing Solutions
But what if your business needs working capital and you don’t qualify for a bank loan or line of credit? Alternative financing solutions are often appropriate for injecting working capital into businesses in this situation. Three of the most common types of alternative financing used by such businesses are:
1. Full-Service Factoring – Businesses sell outstanding accounts receivable on an ongoing basis to a commercial finance (or factoring) company at a discount. The factoring company then manages the receivable until it is paid. Factoring is a well-established and accepted method of temporary alternative finance that is especially well-suited for rapidly growing companies and those with customer concentrations.
2. Accounts Receivable (A/R) Financing – A/R financing is an ideal solution for companies that are not yet bankable but have a stable financial condition and a more diverse customer base. Here, the business provides details on all accounts receivable and pledges those assets as collateral. The proceeds of those receivables are sent to a lockbox while the finance company calculates a borrowing base to determine the amount the company can borrow. When the borrower needs money, it makes an advance request and the finance company advances money using a percentage of the accounts receivable.
3. Asset-Based Lending (ABL) – This is a credit facility secured by all of a company’s assets, which may include A/R, equipment and inventory. Unlike with factoring, the business continues to manage and collect its own receivables and submits collateral reports on an ongoing basis to the finance company, which will review and periodically audit the reports.
In addition to providing working capital and enabling owners to maintain business control, alternative financing may provide other benefits as well:
It’s easy to determine the exact cost of financing and obtain an increase.
Professional collateral management can be included depending on the facility type and the lender.
Real-time, online interactive reporting is often available.
It may provide the business with access to more capital.
It’s flexible – financing ebbs and flows with the business’ needs.
It’s important to note that there are some circumstances in which equity is a viable and attractive financing solution. This is especially true in cases of business expansion and acquisition and new product launches – these are capital needs that are not generally well suited to debt financing. However, equity is not usually the appropriate financing solution to solve a working capital problem or help plug a cash-flow gap.
A Precious Commodity
Remember that business equity is a precious commodity that should only be considered under the right circumstances and at the right time. When equity financing is sought, ideally this should be done at a time when the company has good growth prospects and a significant cash need for this growth. Ideally, majority ownership (and thus, absolute control) should remain with the company founder(s).
Alternative financing solutions like factoring, A/R financing and ABL can provide the working capital boost many cash-strapped businesses that don’t qualify for bank financing need – without diluting ownership and possibly giving up business control at an inopportune time for the owner. If and when these companies become bankable later, it’s often an easy transition to a traditional bank line of credit. Your banker may be able to refer you to a commercial finance company that can offer the right type of alternative financing solution for your particular situation.
Taking the time to understand all the different financing options available to your business, and the pros and cons of each, is the best way to make sure you choose the best option for your business. The use of alternative financing can help your company grow without diluting your ownership. After all, it’s your business – shouldn’t you keep as much of it as possible?
What Is An Online Business Manager, and Is It Time for You to Hire One?
Are you a successful woman entrepreneur whose multiple 6-figure business feels out of control?Are you stuck? Overwhelmed? Frustrated?Ever thought seriously about walking away because you’re so bogged down with business operations that you can’t follow your passion?If this sounds like you, it’s time to find an online business manager.What’s an Online Business Manager? According to Tina Forsyth, the author of Becoming an Online Business Manager, the official definition of an Online Business Manager (OBM) is:A virtually based support professional who manages online based businesses, including the day-to-day management of projects, operations, team members, and metrics.An OBM isn’t a virtual assistant who performs tasks. He or she is a professional business manager who runs the company’s daily operations to give the owner energy and time to focus on strategic growth. The OBM gives the owner permission to be the Visionary and serve her clients, plan the company’s growth and future, and use her gifts to their fullest potential.The OBM keeps all the balls in the air as the Integrator of the business. Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters first defined the Integrator role in their book, Rocket Fuel: The One Essential Combination that Will Get You More of What You Want from Your Business. The Integrator harmoniously combines the major functions of the business (sales, marketing, operations, and finance), runs the organization, and manages day-to-day issues. This role is literally the glue that holds the people, processes, systems, and strategy of the company together.The Integrator creates space so the business owner, the Visionary, can fully step into the CEO role and do what she’s called to do-change the world.Finding an Integrator for your business would take a big load off your mind and off your plate, wouldn’t it?I help women business owners who need that time and space. For the past eight years, as an Integrator in my clients’ businesses, I’ve had the great honor of making someone else’s vision happen.You can’t do it all, and you don’t want to.When you started your business, you had to wear all the hats. You had to be the visionary and the manager. You knew it wasn’t your best fit, but you could do it until the business grew a little and you could hire help.Soon you hired someone to take care of the tedious work, but you couldn’t let go of much more. You still needed to lead and manage alone. You told your family (and yourself) that wearing both hats wouldn’t last much longer and you could handle it.Now, your business keeps growing and you spend way too much time managing and not enough time leading and serving. You don’t have enough time to decide where the business is going because you’re trying to keep up with managerial tasks you never wanted.You started your business to change the world and to have the freedom to enjoy life. At this point, you can’t do either because you can’t get out of that manager role long enough to catch your breath!Hitting the ceiling is inevitable. Every successful woman entrepreneur I’ve seen comes to the point where she’s exhausted and can go no farther – she can’t continue to manage and grow the business by herself. She needs online business management services so she can move into the CEO position and Visionary role to grow her company.Transform your business with an OBMYour business needs a Visionary and an Integrator to be successful, and you can’t be both for long and sustainable growth. As the Visionary, you need an Integrator to implement and drive your vision, and your Integrator needs you to lead the company’s direction and strategize its future.My specialty is working with multiple 6-figure clients who have hit that growth ceiling. They know they can’t continue being in charge of everything. I’m an Online Business Consultant, Certified Online Business Manager, and most importantly, a diehard Integrator in every sense of the term.My clients are high-achieving women entrepreneurs who want to change the world, and their visions are huge. They have proven business models that generate multiple 6-figure+ revenues. Their desire to build an empire is inspirational, and they’re ready to turn over the reins of management to a trusted professional who will move the business forward.Are you ready for your Integrator?Have you hit the ceiling in creating new growth? Feeling overwhelmed or frustrated with all the “DOING” in your business?