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Starting a small business online

As we now are into 2012 and the thoughts of filing your taxes hangs over your head, you might be thinking about starting a small business online.  Just consider some of the following that can get you going this year:

  • Low start up cost
  • Endless amounts of support and help
  • Low overhead
  • It’s open 24hrs a day, 7 days a week
  • You don’t need a college degree to make it work (though sometimes it helps!)
  • You don’t have to limit yourself to what you sell

These are just a few reasons why almost anyone can take action and start a small business online.  So lets take a short look at each one individually and see how it fits in and makes sense to you.

  1. Low start up cost: Unlike a franchise (Subway, McDonald’s etc.) that may cost up to hundreds of thousands of dollars, your online business can cost you just a few dollars a month to a few thousand per year depending on how involved you want to go.
  2. Endless amounts of support and help: Think forums, blogs and training course.  You can learn a ton and not spend a dime in the forums and blogs.  You might need to spend quite a bit of time here and this is where a paid course can streamline your learning process.  People are willing to help.  All you need to do is post the question and you will be surprised how open and helpful people are online.
  3. Low overhead: You do not need to keep en endless supply of materials ready to ship in your basement and garage.  Many programs will automate and print on demand.  Keeping your website running can cost you just a few dollars a month depending on the host provider you are using. 
  4. It’s open 24hrs a day, 7 days a week: The internet never goes off and when you are sleeping, people on the other side of the world are online looking for a product you might carry.  As long as you are set up right, you can make sales while you sleep.
  5. You don’t need a college degree to make it work (though sometimes it helps!): The more educated you are the better you can be equipped to be a leader online and expand your business.  I have seen some people online though who are successful who never made it through high school, though they have learned what they needed to learn, when they needed to learn it.
  6. You don’t have to limit yourself to what you sell: people will buy the strangest things.  You can put almost anything online today and it will sell if the price is right.  People love to have physical products, but even digital products are selling billions of dollars worth of content each and every year.  Just think how CD’s are being replaced by DVD’s and Books are being released by eBooks.

Even though this is a relatively short list, you can see that there is no reason for you to delay starting a small business online.  The investment can be small if you play it right.  You should always do yourself due diligence and research what it is you are doing before launching an expensive business to make sure you are doing what is right for you. 

If I have one suggestion at all, it would be to start small working with something you are passionate about.   It would not make sense to go out and do something you dread…kind of like going to that day to day job you might have now…

Your Review Guru

PS  If you are interested in web tools, click the “Toolbox” button on the top of the page to help you get started.  If you want to find out about starting a small business for just $1.67 a month then I welcome you to come join me at Meet Cheap.