A Step-By-Step Checklist For Starting And Building Your On-line BusinessWritten by Willie Crawford
One of things I've been asked for repeatedly is a step-by-step, how-to checklist for starting an on-line business. Here is one especially created for course subscribers.I spent 17 years flying C-130 cargo aircraft and learned that some things had to be done step-by-step ... by checklist. That's how airplanes avoid landing with wheels up :-) This checklist should provide you with a great start, and keep you from making a "gear up landing." 1. Decide what theme you want to build your business around. Don't just throw up a site filled with links and banners to affiliate products. It will be too unfocused to attract much, if any, traffic. The traffic it does attract generally won't buy anything because site will not give them a clear path to follow. A website should guide a visitor to take action that you desire them to take. It should have only one main action that you want them to take, and that should be what your home page focuses on getting them to do. I was taught, and now teach people, to look at their hobbies, interests, past training and experiences when looking for a topic to build a website around. If you need some help brainstorming product ideas, I highly recommend Jeff Smith's Ultimate Entrepreneur's Success Package. It's all about coming up with ideas for information products, and then turning those ideas into a stream of information products. Jeff interviewed me several years ago, and we've discussed product creation at length several times since. Jeff can be found at: http://williecrawford.com/jeffsmith/ 2. Once you have chosen a product, choose a domain name for website you will be creating. This website will be where you sell your product from, and also how you build your mailing list to follow-up with prospects. The domain name must be easy to remember and also indicate what site is about. This will help it rank better in search engines and help customers remember your url. I recommend that you use a .com domain extension rather than a .net, .org or, one of lesser used extensions. Most people, and many web browsers automatically "default" to .com extension. The only reason I can think of for a business to use one of other extensions is if .com you really wanted is owned and you can't buy it. That's why you don't want to wait once you've decided upon a name. Register it right away! The best second choice for a domain name extension is .net 3. As you develop your product ideas and work on your website, get feedback on your "masterpiece" from others who've done same thing. They will point out many of pitfalls to you and make suggestions for improvements. I recommend that you join Internet Marketing Warriors for this. They have a members-only discussion forum that is visited by thousand every day and they are perfect community. They (we) are there to help members build their business, and to network with each other. I am a moderator for this members-only forum. I've been a member since 1998 if I remember correctly :-)
| | Goals That Help & Goals That HinderWritten by ©Susan Dunn, MA Clinical Psychology, The EQ Coach
Short-term goals, long-term goals, decisions and choices. What to do?Have your goals, and yes, write them down. The short-term goals should get you to your long-term goal, but keep your eye on long-term goal, as if you were jumping hurdles. The long-term goal is line to cross at end, and short-term goals are hurdles. If you stop and look at each hurdle you're trying to cross, well, you know what will happen. So remember what long-term goal is and don't let what goes on with short-term goals stop your forward motion. For instance, when you're changing oil in your car ... no, sorry I'm going to have to use a pie-baking example. To bake a good apple pie you have to measure flour, sugar, butter, salt and pare and core apples, but you can be a bit off on your measurements at any point and still come out fine. As to commitment and choice, you always have right to change your mind. Your dreams and plans may change over your lifespan, as will your financial needs, and priorities, and sometimes even your values. Remember that life lives you as much as you live life. In pursuing one goal you may gain skills you decide you'd rather apply elsewhere, and you will still end up in a good place.
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