Online business startup costs, products, and services on a budget?

13 replies
I'm looking to limit costs, but to get the necessary products and/or services to help with building an online business and brand.

I'm using WordPress as my website platform. What I'd like to do is build a following on a blog, create and sell digital products, affiliate marketing, and to offer some coaching services.

What exactly do I need and which are the most essential?

I was using AWeber and recently cancelled it because I didn't have many people on my list, and found it to be a waste of money.

Some of the thing's I have seen are:

- WordPress platforms such as Thrive Themes, OptimizePress, Elegant Themes
- email marketing - AWeber, Mail Chimp etc..
- Landing page software such as LeadPages, InstaPage
- Other website optimisation - SumoMe, OptinMonster
- Payment systems, including affiliate options - Infusionsoft
- Webinar hosting services - GoToMeeting
- Website membership site for products - OptimizePress

Do I even need most of that? Or could I just use a free autoresponder, a WordPress payment plugin, and my current OptimizePress membership to create landing pages and downloadable items?

There seems to be so many options and its hard to know what is required.

Thanks
#budget #business #costs #online #products #services #startup
  • Profile picture of the author agmccall
    thrive themes, optimize press, or instabuilder.

    A decent theme, even just customize one of the default themes that come with WP

    Aweber

    That is about it. Most everything else can wait until you can afford it.

    al
    Signature

    "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." Thomas Edison

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  • Profile picture of the author spartan14
    In my opinion its not so important what you have its important how you promote it .For example if you have an excelent store but you dont know how to promote it you will not make good money .Start by learning failing and working hard
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  • Profile picture of the author Paleochora
    Listen.

    If you are really strapped for cash, you need to keep things simple.

    I assume you already have hosting. You will need something to make offer pages and you will need an autoresponder account. These are the minimum requirements. You can make money with these three things.

    My plan would be to create some content - use free Screencast-O-Matic to make screen videos, free Open Office to make pdf reports - in your chosen niche.

    Put the content on separate pages made with a low-cost WP page builder (I use Instabuilder 2 which I think is $77 for a 3 site license)).

    Set up a sales page for a fixed term membership - say 6 months of content (delivered every 2 weeks) so you will eventually need 12 items of content.

    You don't need a membership site...just deliver the content using your autoresponder. Every 2 weeks they get a mail with a link to the content. Simple.

    Now these are examples as I don't know your niche or content creation ability but... You could charge $17 a month and (if you have the content all ready) offer an "all at once" one time payment of $77.

    Then, when you have money coming in, invest back in your business to get some premium tools and services.
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  • Profile picture of the author Raiser45
    I only pay for my traffic.

    I have free webhosting and a free domain.

    And a free autoresponder and a free high converting landing page.
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  • Profile picture of the author ChrisBa
    Originally Posted by Paul Wadsworth View Post

    I'm looking to limit costs, but to get the necessary products and/or services to help with building an online business and brand.

    I'm using WordPress as my website platform. What I'd like to do is build a following on a blog, create and sell digital products, affiliate marketing, and to offer some coaching services.

    What exactly do I need and which are the most essential?

    I was using AWeber and recently cancelled it because I didn't have many people on my list, and found it to be a waste of money.

    Some of the thing's I have seen are:

    - WordPress platforms such as Thrive Themes, OptimizePress, Elegant Themes
    - email marketing - AWeber, Mail Chimp etc..
    - Landing page software such as LeadPages, InstaPage
    - Other website optimisation - SumoMe, OptinMonster
    - Payment systems, including affiliate options - Infusionsoft
    - Webinar hosting services - GoToMeeting
    - Website membership site for products - OptimizePress

    Do I even need most of that? Or could I just use a free autoresponder, a WordPress payment plugin, and my current OptimizePress membership to create landing pages and downloadable items?

    There seems to be so many options and its hard to know what is required.

    Thanks
    If you are just getting started and are strapped for cash. Keep it simple.
    Start with a blog (wordpress) on your own domain and hosting. I'd still recommend an autoresponder like aweber.

    I'm not sure if you need the rest right now to get started.
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  • Profile picture of the author BigFrank
    Banned
    And what is it that you feel competent to coach people in? Just curious.

    Frank
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  • Profile picture of the author Jouvan Johnson
    Holy sh*t brother sounds like you are drowning in the possibilities of marketing tools. Non of that stuff is going to help you. Firstly I hope you are not looking to go into coaching internet marketing if you have never actually made any money online yourself... If that is the case it's just going to be the blind leading the blind and that is a major problem in our industry at the moment giving it a bad name.

    Let's take it to the bare basic's.

    Don't let all the bells and whistles distract you let's looked at what has lasted the test of time from the beginning of making money online to this very day in 2017...

    Traffic to squeeze page then relentless follow up.

    Now your mindset needs to shift from "how am I going to make money" (even though I know that is the reason you are on this forum) to "How am I going to help someone solve a problem them have (and profit in the process)".

    Let's look at this in a more practical sense.

    Say for instance I want to become better at giving oral pleasure to my lady (why did my mind go there) I have no issues here but this is for demonstration purposes only. lol.

    You may have great expertise in this area... and decide to write a free report titled

    "How to make any woman shake uncontrollably in orgasmic bliss with this 30 second oral routine"

    I would give you my email address to get that and I'm sure a few other warriors would too even if out of pure curiosity...

    Now I am on your list you may have a whole course of 50 more tongue routines to do on your lady friends clit to make her never leave you because no man has ever made her feel such pleasure.

    I may buy that if I was in this market and needed to solve that problem... and I will leave the warrior forum community to come up with the up-sells and product line.

    The product doesn't even have to be yours it could be a product you bought and got great value from so you are promoting it as an affiliate...

    In simple terms.

    Find a problem a group of people have...

    Discover a solution or master one yourself.

    Get them on a list help them solve their problem and promote or create products that help them further.

    We as a community need to get out of the mindset that we are sitting behind a computer just extracting money. Each dollar spent comes from a real person that is trying to solve a problem and as internet marketers it is our duty to help them along that journey and in the process we make some money along the way.

    That's my 2 dollars (because it's worth more than 2 cents)

    Jouvan "suddenly feeling horny" Johnson
    Signature

    I help the overworked & underpaid wage slave break free from the shackles of their 9 - 5 using just the internet and email. Find out how at ==> www.EducatedRebel.com

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    • Profile picture of the author BigFrank
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Jouvan Johnson View Post

      Find a problem a group of people have...
      Fortunately, I don't have the problem you have used as an example.

      Frank
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      • Profile picture of the author Jouvan Johnson
        Originally Posted by BigFrank View Post

        Fortunately, I don't have the problem you have used as an example.

        Frank
        Fortunately I don't either but I hope my illustration (how ever out of the ordinary) helped the dude that started the thread.

        Jouvan
        Signature

        I help the overworked & underpaid wage slave break free from the shackles of their 9 - 5 using just the internet and email. Find out how at ==> www.EducatedRebel.com

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        • Profile picture of the author Paul Wadsworth
          I'm not looking to coach internet marketing, that's why I'm here.. to learn about it myself

          I'm a personal trainer/ mindset coach so I'm looking at helping people feel better about themselves and live happier lives.

          Thanks a lot for the tips I appreciate it
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          • Profile picture of the author Jouvan Johnson
            Originally Posted by Paul Wadsworth View Post

            I'm not looking to coach internet marketing, that's why I'm here.. to learn about it myself

            I'm a personal trainer/ mindset coach so I'm looking at helping people feel better about themselves and live happier lives.

            Thanks a lot for the tips I appreciate it
            That sounds cool man.

            Keep it very simple as you start don't over complicate things.

            Squeeze page and email your list daily as you build it. Give value but sell at the same time. Look at how Ben Settle does it. Google him.

            Don't get overwhelmed by all the options just take it to the basics for now and as you build up and learn more you will start to add other things in.

            Jouvan
            Signature

            I help the overworked & underpaid wage slave break free from the shackles of their 9 - 5 using just the internet and email. Find out how at ==> www.EducatedRebel.com

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  • Profile picture of the author shmol
    A good wordpress theme like Thesis, and awber so you can collect emails and Optimize Press

    These are the only things you really need.

    However, with that said, up next you need to figure out, free or very cheap ways, that you can use to drive targeted traffic.

    Because without traffic you really have nothing.

    Hope this Helps
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