What online business to start as a dev/design/marketing duo (with my wife)?

Hi Joe.
Amazon is a good way of doing business.
Now I try to learn this more deep.
Maybe u have some thoughts about this way?

Honestly if I was starting over again i'd start a service business, then scale that up. I recommended this to some of my members and within a week they had a steady stream of income.

In fact this week it took one a couple of days to go from nothing to a 5K income although he did have a list he could email.

The one thing you didn't mention in your post is how much time you and your wife can put into the business. I'm assuming you both have other jobs.

I expect the answers to this thread to be all over the place given posters different backgrounds and successes/failures.

So, here's my thoughts:

You are in a very similar position to where I was. I have a full time job and an 'online' business. I own an ecommerce brand in the fitness market. I outsourced content, marketing, SEO, design, etc. But, early on, you'll probably want to do that in-house and it seems like you and your wife have the abilities to do so successfully.

Before this, I tried blogging, affiliate marketing, dropshipping and a bunch of other things. But, nothing has been more profitable than building a brand and private labeling and/or contract manufacturing your own physical products. To me - that's the greatest asset you can build online.

Online businesses are becoming increasingly competitive. Many services like writing or SEO seem to be a race to the bottom in terms of pricing. The same tends to go with dropshipping or selling the same products as a thousand other people.

To start, you need to research product(s) that are in demand and somewhat low(er) competition. Then to scale, find related products that can boost your average customer value and/or bring in additional customers.

But, don't put the cart before the horse. That's a mistake many people make and one that I've made myself. Don't find yourself in a position where you buy a bunch of products and the say 'how am I going to sell these'. If you decide to go this route, do your research, find your products, and start blogging/SEOing/Instagramming/Pinteresting... Whatever marketing channels you decide.

The thing about business is traffic. The beautiful thing about online business is that you can (somewhat) control your traffic. Offline the saying is 'location, location, location'. Online, you can create your location and the rent is comparitively cheaper.

Once you have traffic, open up your shop. If you do it right. People will be preordering, signing up for or asking for your products before you even have them.

Your option #1 is the best for you - I believe. You cannot be a billionaire with it, but some more money earned per month for sure.

A few ideas Joe;

- consulting
- freelancing
- write and self-publish eBooks
- convert eBooks to audio books

Ryan

Provide a jumpstart kit for online newbie business people.

Something to advertise using an opt in page and build a list of people interested.

Joe,


Here are my suggestions for what it's worth . . .

1. Create something that you both love doing. It doesn't mean you both have to love the same thing. Just create a business that allows you each to enjoy what you're doing in the business on a daily basis. Some husband/wife businesses have caused great stress (yes, even divorce) in the marriage because the daily tasks are unpleasant to one or both partners. Do things that you each have some talent or expertise in that is fun, rewarding or fulfilling.
2. Let the other partner do his/her own thing without micromanaging or rigid oversight. Trust your partner and find ways to co-exist in the business by keeping at arms length with any responsibilities that aren't yours.
3. Build your business as a "cashable" asset. Some business models (like freelancing, personal blogging, affiliate sales, providing copywriting, etc) don't lend themselves to selling the business when you want to do something else or retire. If I were you, I would build up a business that I could sell that would be in-demand when I chose to move on. Go into your new business with the idea that you're going to be able to "cash out" with a nice paycheck when you sell it. Now is the time to plan on how you are going to do that - not two weeks before you leave!
4. When you come up with a good topic (niche) and business idea (how you're going to monetize your plan), spend a little time on Google trends (and other places) and educate yourself about where this market is headed. Markets change online very quickly and you want to make sure that your choice is headed in the right direction - UP. Don't sign on as the captain of the Titanic!
5. It sounds as though you're not afraid of work. Good! Be patient. Be consistently focused on your mission statement. You don't have to be great at doing a thousand things. Just pick one thing and become exceptional with it! Set up a selling system that earns a nice profit ... then work at making it more and more efficient, more profitable, less work, and easier to manage and control. Get all the moving parts working in harmony like a well-oiled machine . . . then scale up. Pump some of your profit into paid marketing methods . . . but only after you are profitable.
6. Look at this business as a journey, a time of exploration and fun with your wife. Don't focus on the money - it will lead you to making poor business decisions. Instead, set your sights on your audience and how you can help and assist them. This strategy alone will set your business apart from 95% of all your competition. You customers will become raving fans and they will help to boost your marketing efforts - in fact, they will do a lot of marketing for you if you enable them.
7. Mind you own business. Pay attention to the little details. When obstacles arise (and they always do), get help, hire a technical person, find a solution, do whatever it takes to move around or over the problem. Mind your own business in another way too: don't worry too much about niche saturation or too much competition. By being unique, original, and one-of-a-kind, you will have a business that can't be duplicated - that will have no direct competitors. Learn about the competition, but don't be intimidated or give in to sameness. You are unique and that's your advantage.

Obviously, no one can tell you what niche is right for you and your wife. No one can tell you what business model you should adopt. Forum members will tell you what they like best based on their own experience ... but that doesn't mean it will work or be the best thing for you.


Maybe one or more of these thoughts will help you to decide your future.


The very best to you,


Steve

the best way would be to go basic. Focus on your strong areas, learn your strength and make sure that you make it the basic niche. Then you can build a website on the same principle and focus more on the products or service you offer. It will also generate traffic and you can also form a list by having opt in subscribers to your newsletter campaigns. You can use emailing tools like Campaigns+, mailchimp or mailwizz to send the newsletter. Later, you can use the same list for email marketing and geberate revenue even as an affiliate or as a service provider.

Another thing you can do is have your own service and then market it through purchased lists.

cheers