How to Start a Business Online From Scratch: 3 Simple Tips to Get You Started!

Are you thinking of starting your own online #business? Do you have dreams of becoming your own boss the easy way?

You are definitely not alone. With the number of layoffs increasing by the day in recent times, many entrepreneurially minded persons have taken to the internet to start their own businesses.

Of course, your reason may not be as a result of job loss. Probably you want to start that business because you desire a better lifestyle for you and your family. Or, maybe you are already tired of working for others and you want to step out to be your own boss!

Now, no matter your reason for wanting your own business, you must understand that creating your own online business is not an easy thing to do. There are many forces out there conspiring to frustrate your efforts. It doesn’t matter the hype you may have been fed with, building a sustainable business is not milk and butter!

Does that mean it cannot be done?

The answer is, NO!

Millions have done it and you too can do it. All I’m saying is that this is not the type of project that you should become involved in if you do not know exactly what you are doing. You need is to make the right preparations to ensure you have all your ducks in a row before you officially #launch.

From my years online and from what I have seen in many others, there are a number of critical steps you need to take before you will be able to get your site up and running. Let me share with you the top 3 things you need to do.

3 Critical Steps to Starting a Sustainable Online Business

1. Get An Experienced Web Designer

To have a #successful online business you need a well-designed website. This is why your first step to a successful online business is hiring an experienced web designer; preferably, someone who has worked on many sites similar to the one you are going to create.

You must understand that your business website will play a vital role in your success or otherwise. In fact, you will never be able to achieve massive profitability if you have a substandard site that moves very sluggishly and has many glitches. This is why it is not an overstatement to say that the web designer you hire will be the most important person in your entire operation.

Visitors to your business site will, most of the time, judge your business based on your site and not the products or services that you provide. This might not seem fair. However, it is the reality. As you do know your website is the first contact they have with you and first impressions do matter!

Besides, when people visit your site, they will want to look around it for a few minutes. If it looks unimpressive or if it moves sluggishly they will leave and do their shopping elsewhere. This is another good reason why you should ONLY hire a web designer who has at least six years of experience.

Ideally, the person you hire should have designed other sites that are in the same genre as your desired site. This will allow the design process to go more smoothly.

Recommended Reading: Top 7 Small Business Website Mistakes and How to Overcome Them

2. Decide On a #Marketing Campaign for Your Online Business

This is where many wannabe online entrepreneurs fall flat on their faces. They spend a fortune in getting a talented web designer to build for them a great website. However, they wait in vain for that much-desired website traffic. Build it and they will come is only true in the Field of Dreams!

You may have the most beautiful website with all the whistles and bells and built by the most talented web designer; but if the general public is unaware of your online business, it will amount to nothing. Your top priority should be to get the word out about what your business does and the products it sells. It is imperative to do this effectively so you can start generating a profit as soon as possible.

There are a number of ways you can choose to go about accomplishing this goal. One of such is to hire a professional marketing company to design a marketing campaign for you. Besides, you should also create various #social media accounts for your business.

3. Thoroughly Test Your Site Prior To Launching It

This is very crucial. You need to be certain that all aspects of your site are in working order before the public accesses it. It is therefore, important that you test your website before launching it.

Some of the critical things you need to test out are the website shopping cart, the search feature, the videos, if you have any and of course, all of the other things on your site which you know are critical to the running of your online business. This is to ensure that there are no glitches when you finally launch. It will be embarrassing to the reputation of your business if you launch a site that has problems.

Recommended Reading: Top 3 Mistakes to Avoid When Starting a New Business

Conclusion

Starting your own online business is definitely the quickest route to becoming your own boss in today’s economy. However, to ensure that you don’t become one of the statistics of failed online businesses, it is important that you carefully put the above tips into consideration. To be forewarned they say, is to be fore-armed! Overlooking these simple tips could be costly.