start an internet business

22 replies
Hello, i'm from China. looking for advice from you guys to get my internet adventures off the ground. i'm currently working for a Chinese online retailer but this job is not satisfying. I want to work full time on the internet. before working here, actually i did dabbled in the internet business for a while. I created a website selling VPN services to Chinese who want to circumvent the Great Firewall. I developed the website and set up all these OPENVPN, L2TP, PPTP and IKEV2 VPN servers on my own, without any outsourcing. But i'm dumb with marketing stuff so the result is not that fulfilling.(but i managed to break even).

i have the following skills:

1, i speak and write native Chinese. i was born and raised in China. so i know a lot about Chinese stuff.
2, i'm a part time Linux Server Administrator as well as a hobbyist PHP programmer. i can set up all kind of servers for service like email, VPN, web, file, etc. I've been working with DRUPAL CMS and know how to theme and develop drupal modules. but never work with WORDPRESS.
3, i know a lot about electronic products, including phone, tablets, HD media players, GSP navigator, etc. Because i worked as a product catalogue writer for a famous Chinese online retailer before. (I bet a lot of you have heard of this company, and its domain starts with a D)

Any input would be appreciated. Thank you
#business #internet #start
  • Profile picture of the author hustlinsmoke
    I didn't think China even allowed forum ips or even outside of there country for that matter.
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    • Profile picture of the author AlexGeorge
      There are so many different avenues you can go down. I would advise browsing through the WSO section to find a good training course / business plan and stick at it till you get it right.
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    • Profile picture of the author freefall12
      Originally Posted by hustlinsmoke View Post

      I didn't think China even allowed forum ips or even outside of there country for that matter.
      yeah, but a majority of websites are free to access from hereon the blacklist are facebook, twitter, google plus, wordpress.com, blogspot, nytimes, etc.
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      • Profile picture of the author Alex Blades
        Originally Posted by freefall12 View Post

        yeah, but a majority of websites are free to access from hereon the blacklist are facebook, twitter, google plus, wordpress.com, blogspot, nytimes, etc.
        Oh, so the sites where the Chinese people can voice their freedom of speech are banned
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        • Profile picture of the author freefall12
          ,yeah, it's kind of like that
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  • Profile picture of the author misshang
    How about dropshipping services for Chinese exporters?
    I am very sure there is great demand on small electronics dropshipping services
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    • Profile picture of the author freefall12
      Originally Posted by misshang View Post

      How about dropshipping services for Chinese exporters?
      I am very sure there is great demand on small electronics dropshipping services
      i guest what you are saying is not dropshipping. As for dropshipping, being in China doesn't give you much advantages over other warrior members in the west. i might be wrong.
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  • Profile picture of the author seonutshell
    If you are working for an online company, they obviously saw something in yu to hire you. Chinas job market is slim right?

    Anyway, do what you are good at, ad dont leave your job until you are making enough to live on!

    Regards
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    • Profile picture of the author freefall12
      Originally Posted by seonutshell View Post

      If you are working for an online company, they obviously saw something in yu to hire you. Chinas job market is slim right?

      Anyway, do what you are good at, ad dont leave your job until you are making enough to live on!

      Regards
      Thank you. i'd stay with this job until i've made up my mind.
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  • Profile picture of the author Valimai
    Banned
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author freefall12
      Originally Posted by Valimai View Post

      You have good technical knowledge and your English is not too bad, you can promote web hosting related stuffs and it would help.
      Yes, actually that's what i plan to do. would i be able to make a living out of that business alone if i work full time? or maybe it would be best to do that just in spare time?
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  • Profile picture of the author mohsinmallik
    As you have got good ideas about electronic gadgets, you do business with people who needs those gadgets. Especially with those people outside your country.
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  • Profile picture of the author Igor Fridrihs
    Hey,

    Look at JV in WF. You can find a partner who are interesting in people with your knowledge and he can teach you how to do some stuff in exchange of your job.

    Good luck.
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    • Profile picture of the author MarketMaster13
      I would recommend you to get a mentor or someone to guide you through ways of making $$$ from the internet business.
      It will help a great deal in making the right decisions based on his/her experience.
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    • Profile picture of the author Mary Popowa
      Originally Posted by Igor Fridrihs View Post

      Hey,

      Look at JV in WF. You can find a partner who are interesting in people with your knowledge and he can teach you how to do some stuff in exchange of your job.

      Good luck.
      Very good advice, go for it, I read many stories that how some big names started they successful businesses.
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    • Profile picture of the author freefall12
      Originally Posted by Igor Fridrihs View Post

      Hey,

      Look at JV in WF. You can find a partner who are interesting in people with your knowledge and he can teach you how to do some stuff in exchange of your job.

      Good luck.
      Yeah i did try to post there, but i'm not a paid member yet.
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  • Profile picture of the author TediousIce228
    looks good, hope it turns out good tooo..
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  • Profile picture of the author Veo
    From what I could get about you is that you have very decent technical knowledge. It really could be a good starting point.
    But besides teaming up with some of the warriors interested in your skills, which you should do if there's an interest for you, is to become outsourcer, a go-to guy for people/companies interested in buying and importing in their own countries of products (or maybe even services) related to your knowledge.
    The reason for that is that many people don't know they way around China or have been scammed in the actual purchases of the goods in China, because they didn't get the quantity or the quality or even both of the goods they ordered and payed for.
    So, if you can establish trust, and prove yourself on some initial small purchase and follow-through to boarding of the goods on the ship/plane for somebody, trust me you'll have more business that you can handle!
    Think about that!

    All the best,

    Veo
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  • Profile picture of the author freefall12
    Thank you guys for all the help. i'll think about all the options!
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  • Profile picture of the author brentb
    China and Western markets are so different! Most sites created in the US are never made available either in terms of language, shipping etc to China. I would check out what some innovative things that are brand new in the US and make a China version. You would be first in China and that is a huge market so you could make a lot of money. Very few US services will make it to China just because its very difficult to bring a business there as an outsider.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dantplayer
    Originally Posted by freefall12 View Post


    i have the following skills:

    1, i speak and write native Chinese. i was born and raised in China. so i know a lot about Chinese stuff.
    2, i'm a part time Linux Server Administrator as well as a hobbyist PHP programmer. i can set up all kind of servers for service like email, VPN, web, file, etc. I've been working with DRUPAL CMS and know how to theme and develop drupal modules. but never work with WORDPRESS.
    3, i know a lot about electronic products, including phone, tablets, HD media players, GSP navigator, etc. Because i worked as a product catalogue writer for a famous Chinese online retailer before. (I bet a lot of you have heard of this company, and its domain starts with a D)

    Any input would be appreciated. Thank you
    Just because you're in China doesn't mean you have to aim your business at Chinese people. You know, an interesting feature to us Internet Marketers is drop shipping and fulfillment houses. Especially when you start to leverage your online work with your offline direct marketing efforts.

    Since you're in China, you could write a guide say for $7-10 that explains to us some insider tips on working with drop-shipping companies and manufacturers located in China. Many of us from North America think we're getting conned (ok, some of us are! ) when we work with non-English speaking Chineses manufacturers.

    You guide could shed some light. Then all you have to do is market it, but for $7 it's an easy sell... actually it's a no-brainer impulse sell, I think... thus allowing you to build your email list and sell these people more info later on.
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  • Profile picture of the author eknywork
    If you wish, I will build a complete Sale Funnel (LCP, Thank You Page, OTO, Email Swipes) so that you can start as an affiliate marketer.

    You will have a High Quality Free Offer to give away in order to capture emails with OTO follow up to monetize on.

    No Hosting, Domain needed, leads will end up in your Aweber account only.

    Here a sample of a Sale Funnel that I have build for myself ---> workwitheugene.com/funnel

    I know that everybody say that money is in the list but if you dont know how to build a list, I will help you to take first steps.
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  • Profile picture of the author Colin Fox
    So, it's the marketing that you had problems with?

    As someone mentioned, there are loads of different avenues you could go down but it's better to work with your strengths.

    Do you want to market your business with what you are doing in programming or do something totally different?

    First you need to find out what it is that will interest you and keep you going when obstacles arise. Then find a product that will teach you how to market it or make money from it.

    There's loads to learn and I was being told the other day that it takes an average 6 months of hard slog to learn an online skill where you are proficient.

    Just find one or two methods of marketing that resonate with you (one free and one paid) and master them. E.G. Facebook free methods and Youtube PPC.

    Then move onto others.

    The problem why most people fail is that they try to master it all at once and get overwhelmed.
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