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“The franchise opportunity seemed like a low-risk way to start a business. I can follow directions, I can work hard, and I can qualify for financing. Why not buy into a proven system for success?”

Let’s face it. If a franchise opportunity were the tried-and-true formula for being successful and financially independent, everyone would be doing it. In reality, buying a franchise and working that business to stability (and then success) has its pitfalls. Having been through the process of purchasing, owning and operating a franchise business, I can tell you — the experience has been eye-opening.

Before you take the leap by signing that Franchise Agreement, take a deep breath and make sure you aren’t making assumptions about the franchise opportunity that lies ahead. In particular, don’t assume that… (continue reading…)

You might think it’s a great idea to launch a new type of hair comb. But if no one’s unhappy with their current hair comb, your product will fail.

As an entrepreneur, you need to have some insight into the minds of your potential customers. You already know this. But when you’re managing the details of a start-up or Web site launch, you need to be reminded. It’s just too easy to forget that your needs aren’t the same as your customers’ needs.

To sharpen your customer focus, start thinking about why your potential customers are using the Internet. To shop for shoes? To get driving directions? To kill time? You could list out a thousand reasons, and all of them will fall into one of two categories: (continue reading…)

Two Hosters That Did Me Wrong and One That Hasn’t (Yet)

I’m just not interested in dealing with the technical aspects of Web hosting. I’d rather pay a hosting service to manage those details for me. And, with the competitiveness of the hosting industry today, it doesn’t seem unnatural to ask a hoster to manage these details both seamlessly and cheaply.

In a nutshell, here’s what I want from my Web hosting provider: minimal downtime, unlimited amount of space, an intuitive control panel, good customer service and a low price. Are these demands extreme? Maybe so, because I’m on my third hoster in three years, and I’m just waiting for the current one to screw something up.

Several years ago, I moved from a higher priced provider to HostExcellence. At the time, I had one Web site and was planning to launch a couple more. HostExcellence lured me in with an unlimited hosting package at a dirt cheap price. I didn’t know any better and jumped on it. (continue reading…)

You may have seen the pitch online somewhere: make money by reading emails, also known as paid emails. And you probably disregarded the paid emails pitch as hooey, just another scam to rob you of your free time and your dignity. But there’s a hopeful part of you – the same part that fuels your entrepreneurial spirit – that wonders if maybe, just maybe there might be something to that paid email pitch.

Here’s the deal. I signed up for InboxDollars’ paid emails program back in 2006, mostly out of curiosity. I figured that making a few cents by opening an email here and there isn’t much different than launching a new Web site with Adsense ads on it. Nor is it much different than looking down when I walk through parking lots, in hopes of finding a penny or two. Being a self-employed entrepreneur, I believe that very small amounts of money add up over time; if I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t survive being self-employed.

Addressing scam claims (continue reading…)

(c) 2009 Enzo F. Cesario

If you have a business, there are lots of different ways to promote it and make sure you get customers. Having a website is of utmost importance, and by using some of the many online marketing methods available, like blog marketing and article marketing, you can be sure to get a lot of visitors coming to your website. Having the right mix of marketing tactics can eventually lead to increased sales and to the success of your business venture. Here are some of the best online marketing strategies you can use: (continue reading…)

Interested in making money online? The website business plan sounds easy enough: create a website, get some traffic, sell some product or compel your visitors to click on ads, and bammo…you’re in business. The costs are low, the margin is high. So what’s the problem?

The problem is, making money with a website isn’t quite that simple. You have some serious competition to tackle. And I’m not just talking about competing websites, although there are many of those. (An article by Digital Inspiration cites two sources that peg the total number of websites on the Internet at more than 100 million.) Your site will also be competing with cable television, magazines and books. On top of that, the individuals in your targeted visitor group will face tough, daily choices about how to use their time: visit your website, work, take the kids to soccer, go to the bar, and on and on. If your website doesn’t fall high enough on that list of priorities, then it won’t gain traction. (continue reading…)

Does you site fit into the rotten websites category? Rotten websites (and this is a personal definition, so feel free to disregard or disagree) are those that lure in traffic, but fail to deliver anything of value.

When you have taken the time to develop a site and its content, you might have a difficult time objectively measuring the value you are providing online. So your immediate answer to the opening question is probably something like, “What? Rotten websites? My site’s great; if more people knew about my site, I’d be making a killing…” (continue reading…)

(c) 2009 Marcia Yudkin

“Your business name must be bold.” Look around the Internet,
and you’ll often find this advice. Your business name must grab
people’s attention. Sometimes this is a valid guideline,
especially if you are in the entertainment, gadget or fashion
industries. Too often, however, I see this rule lead business
owners to strain for an unusual name, just for the sake of
attention. And the very unusualness of the name then becomes a
serious liability.

More ordinary names can sometimes work out much better than
far-fetched ones. Here are two examples of this phenomenon.

When Susan Friedmann of Lake Placid, New York went out on her
own, she christened her new company Diadem Communications.
“Diadem means crown – a fitting name for what I felt was a
crowning achievement,” she recalls. (continue reading…)

(c) 2009 Willie Crawford

Everywhere you turn these days, you read about membership sites. You read how easy they are to set up, and how lucrative they can be. That should naturally lead you to the question, “Should I be operating my own membership site?” Are they really that easy to set up and maintain?

First of all, a membership site is nothing more than a system for password protecting some “content,” and a system for handling recurring billing of members. So they can be very simple, and in fact can be set up using all free resources. (continue reading…)