Shoestring Business Budget Tips and Tactics
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Presently, more and more people are creating their own web-based businesses. They often begin the process full of fervor and ideas, and are ready to put in the hard work that’s necessary to turn their business dreams into reality. But many of these people won’t have immense financial resources available to help them start their businesses.
Luckily, skimpy financial resources don’t have to be a obstacle to starting your own business. Here are some tips and tactics that will allow you to start your business on a shoestring budget.
Hosting and Domain Name.
To set up your business website, you’ll need a company to act as your web host. This company will store the various files that make up your website, and make sure the site is available on the Internet. You can find web hosting companies that will host your website for less than $10 per month by doing a simple internet search.
You probably also want to register a new domain name (the address that people type into their web browsers when they want to visit your site) for your web business. You should be able to find a registrar that will register your new domain name for less than $10.
Google Sites (sites.google.com) or Wordpress.com will host your website for free, and it will be reachable just like any other website on the Internet. This is extremely compelling benefit if you aren’t able to spend money for either of these things.
However, you’ll not have complete control over your website like you would with a separate hosting account, and your web address will look something like “my-new-business.wordpress.com” instead of “www.my-new-business.com” – and some business owners find it worth the expense to have something like the second domain name.
Building Your Website.
If you have decided to go with a web hosting account, there are a number of open-source software packages that you can use to actually build your website. Joomla, Drupal, MODx and Wordpress are very popular and widely-supported free options. (This version of Wordpress is available for download at wordpress.org, and is more flexible than the wordpress.com hosted version mentioned above.) If you have signed up for an inexpensive web hosting account, there’s a very good chance that your web host makes it very easy to install these software packages to your account.
You don’t have to hire a developer for custom work on your website since there numerous free templates and themes that create a professional looking website. With these template and theme selections, you will be able to change the appearance and feel (and often times the functionality) of your website yourself.
Content.
You should include basic information about your business, including descriptions and summaries of the products and services you offer, along with information on how to contact you. Why? Because your website (and your web business) won’t be highly respected unless you have something of value to offer your visitors.
You have numerous options available to provide quality, content, tools and other resources your visitors. You can write all of this content yourself at no cost, of course. You can also use freelance writers to prepare original articles for you at surprisingly reasonable costs. (Check www.odesk.com and www.elance.com for options.)
By using these tips and tactics, even on a shoestring budget, you should be able to get your new business website up and running in a generally short time.
Luckily, skimpy financial resources don’t have to be a obstacle to starting your own business. Here are some tips and tactics that will allow you to start your business on a shoestring budget.
Hosting and Domain Name.
To set up your business website, you’ll need a company to act as your web host. This company will store the various files that make up your website, and make sure the site is available on the Internet. You can find web hosting companies that will host your website for less than $10 per month by doing a simple internet search.
You probably also want to register a new domain name (the address that people type into their web browsers when they want to visit your site) for your web business. You should be able to find a registrar that will register your new domain name for less than $10.
Google Sites (sites.google.com) or Wordpress.com will host your website for free, and it will be reachable just like any other website on the Internet. This is extremely compelling benefit if you aren’t able to spend money for either of these things.
However, you’ll not have complete control over your website like you would with a separate hosting account, and your web address will look something like “my-new-business.wordpress.com” instead of “www.my-new-business.com” – and some business owners find it worth the expense to have something like the second domain name.
Building Your Website.
If you have decided to go with a web hosting account, there are a number of open-source software packages that you can use to actually build your website. Joomla, Drupal, MODx and Wordpress are very popular and widely-supported free options. (This version of Wordpress is available for download at wordpress.org, and is more flexible than the wordpress.com hosted version mentioned above.) If you have signed up for an inexpensive web hosting account, there’s a very good chance that your web host makes it very easy to install these software packages to your account.
You don’t have to hire a developer for custom work on your website since there numerous free templates and themes that create a professional looking website. With these template and theme selections, you will be able to change the appearance and feel (and often times the functionality) of your website yourself.
Content.
You should include basic information about your business, including descriptions and summaries of the products and services you offer, along with information on how to contact you. Why? Because your website (and your web business) won’t be highly respected unless you have something of value to offer your visitors.
You have numerous options available to provide quality, content, tools and other resources your visitors. You can write all of this content yourself at no cost, of course. You can also use freelance writers to prepare original articles for you at surprisingly reasonable costs. (Check www.odesk.com and www.elance.com for options.)
By using these tips and tactics, even on a shoestring budget, you should be able to get your new business website up and running in a generally short time.