Then you need to find a domain name www.value-name.com works just fine and is cheap. Look for a domain name that contains your key words and is fairly easy to remember, shorter better for simplicity. (ie: avoid picking www.This-is-My-Business-Site-and-You-Should-Look-at-It12345.com)

Next Step...... Adding Content / Products

If your page is going to be informational there are many great article services out there. Here are a few.....

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/article_announce/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/netwrite-publish-announce/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/publisher_network/ http:/ hePhantomWriters.com

If you are going to sell actual products you'll probably want to look into working with a dropshipper (unless you have a big garage to store all products you will be selling) There are many out there. Here is one I've heard great things about.....

http://www.mydssd.com

And then...... Exchanging Links

The best way to move up in search engines (to gain traffic) is to have many related pages linking to yours. Link exchange websites like Link Partners are a great way to find sites to exchange relevant links with. Much of this can be automated to save you time and effort....... all you have to do is approve links you want and decline ones you don't.

You can also do a search in a few of major search engines for your selected keywords....... sites that pop up at top of search are ones you would ideally like to exchange links with to boost your rankings.

Last one........ Get an Auto Responder

This is a service that will send automatic e-mail messages for you at pre-programmed times that you select. Set one up to send out occasional information about your site to your members, use it to keep in touch with your customers, get feedback about your site to help you improve..... etc. You won't actually NEED this feature until you are getting heavy traffic to your site, but it's a handy time saving tool for busy webmasters.

That's basically it! Rinse and Repeat.

Of course there's always more things that you might like to try to improve your business but those are basics. Try new things and track results. See what works for your site and go from there. The secret to online business is to jump in and get wet...... do SOMETHING and work on improving things from there...... one step at a time.

About the Author

Once your board is set up, you should meet about once a month and present material for review. Each meeting should be a discussion of your business problems and an input from your advisors relative to possible solutions. These members of your board of advisors should offer you advice as well as alternatives, and provide you with objectivity. No formal decisions need to be made either at your board meeting, or as a result of them, but you should be able to gain a great deal from suggestions you hear.

You will find that most of your customers have money to pay at least some of what they owe you immediately. To keep them current, and number of accounts receivable in your files to a minimum, you should call them on phone and ask for some kind of explanation why they're falling behind. If you develop such a habit as part of your operating procedure, you'll find your invoices will magically be drawn to front of their piles of bills to pay. While maintaining a courteous attitude, don't be hesitant, or too much of a "nice guy" when it comes to collecting money.

Something else that's a very good business practice, but which few business owners do is to methodically build a credit rating with their local banks. Particularly when you have a good cash flow, you should borrow $100 to $1,000 from your banks every 90 days or so. Simply borrow money, and place it in an interest bearing account, and then pay it all back at least a month or so before it's due. By doing this, you will in crease borrowing power of your signature, and strengthen your ability to obtain needed financing on short notice. This is a kind of business leverage that will be of great value to you if or whenever your cash position becomes less favorable.

By all means, join your industry's local and national trade associations. Most of these organizations have a wealth of information available on everything from details on your competitors to average industry sales figures, new products, services, and trends.

If you are given a membership certificate or wall plaque, you should display these conspicuously on you office wall. Customers like to see such "seals of approval" and feel additional confidence in your business when they see them.

Still another thing often overlooked: If at all possible, you should have your spouse work in business with you for at least three or four weeks per year. The important thing is that if for any reason you are not available to run business, your spouse will be familiar with certain people and situations about your business. These people should include your attorney, accountant, any consultants or advisors, creditors and your major suppliers. The long-term advantages of having your spouse work four weeks per year in your business with you will greatly outweigh short-term inconvenience. Many couples share responsibility and time entirely, which is in most cases even more desirable.

Whenever you can, and as often as you need it, take advantage of whatever free business counseling is available. The Small Business Administration published many excellent booklets, checklists and brochures on quite a large variety of businesses. These publications are available through U.S. Government Printing Office. Most local universities, and many private organizations hold seminars at minimal cost, and often without charge. You should also take advantage of service s offered by your bank and local library.

The important thing about running a small business is to know direction in which you're heading; to know on a day-to-day basis your progress in that very direction; to be aware of what your competitors are doing and to practice good money management at all times. All this will prepare you to recognize potential problems before they arise.

In order to survive with a small business, regardless of economic climate, it is essential to surround yourself with smart people, and practice sound business management at all times