by Thojon
8 replies
Hi guys,

My name is Tom and I am at the beginning phase of starting my own online venture.

My head is exploding with fresh ideas ranging from blogs to affiliate sites and the only trouble is figuring out where to start. As you know starting a string of websites can be costly, from buying and hosting the domains to making the websites themselves. Cash flow is tight and I am looking to invest my time in a site which will allow me to move on to my next project within a good time frame.

I'm looking for advice from people who have made an empire of sites that could tell me either where they started, or would've started if they could turn back time. Should I start with a relevant blog? And then move onto a similar field affiliate site which I could drive my visitors too?

I realise that with all business ventures you must have commitment, motivation and time, all of which I have. I will keep pushing until my goal is reached. I have good knowledge of Seo and write fantastic original content and will look to fund my business using these skills.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!
Tom
#venture
  • Profile picture of the author caesargus
    Hi Tom,

    I would say pick a plan and stick with it. There are many times when you will get side tracked with the shiny object syndrome, and cause you to lose your focus on your goal. Make sure that you have a plan in place so you know the basic steps of what you need to do, and adjust as necessary, but get the basics of the steps that you outlined completed first then go back and fill in the finer details afterwards.

    You can go several ways - several people that start out, offer a service of some type first, figure out what you're good at, and put a Warrior for hire listing, and work with someone until you get those steps down.

    Always Build on your previous successes ...
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  • Profile picture of the author AdwordsMogul
    Here are three things to keep in mind:

    1) Find out what people want to buy. Don't try to reinvent the wheel. Read my post over here, as well as the arguments other nice people left: http://www.warriorforum.com/copywrit...our-stuff.html

    2) Be prepared to test. Over and over again. Here is how it works: do initial research, put it out there, get feedback from the market. The used that feedback to improve your business. Rinse, repeat. a.k.a. ready, fire, aim.

    3) Don't try to learn everything. As soon as you can, get people to do stuff for you. A system simply means you have the exact process mapped out, from the moment a customer sees your ad, to their purchase.

    4) Work towards a business you can stay with for 3-5 years. That way you'll focus more, and make things more systematic.

    5) Most important: don't build an "online business". Build a business that makes you money. This means the internet is just one medium. Even if it's based on a site you can get traffic from newspapers, speaking engagements, etc.
    Signature
    "Those who can - DO IT. Those who can't, say it's impossible."
    Jean Paul a.k.a AdwordsMogul
    PHPDevelopers.net - Top of the range PHP developers

    Easy Link Saver - Are you tired of the pain of constantly searching for your affiliate links? ( Chrome extension - FREE )
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    • Profile picture of the author Alan Ashwood
      It sounds like you have two skills already, which can start earning fairly quickly - SEO and Copy Writing.

      As well as these, you may want to try one of the easier routes to income, Affiliate Marketing, using a website or blog.

      Aside from this, I agree with both the previous posts here.

      As you say cashflow is tight, you might like to visit my blog (see below).

      Good luck in your new (ad)venture.

      Alan
      Signature
      Now where did I put that pencil?

      Time for a cuppa.
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  • Profile picture of the author rixlo
    Thojon,
    I think the posts from Caesargus, AdsWordMogul and Alan Ashwood are all great advice. Good luck
    ric
    Signature
    "Humpty Dumpty was pushed"
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  • Profile picture of the author garyv
    I heard someone else talk about this technique yesterday, so I can't take credit for it. But it's called GOYA. Very effective...







    Oh yeah, it stands for Get Off Your ASS-ets.
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  • Profile picture of the author Henry White
    About that brainstorm... unless you get them down on paper or into a file on your computer, they're really not doing you any good.

    Don't evaluate them now, document them first. Once you have an extensive list you can rearrange the order with related ideas together. Then you can evaluate them and pick up insights from the ideas that don't make the cut.

    This is one time when Dragon pays for itself! Your brain is racing along at warp speed, too fast to speak the idea in complete sentences, and you're putzing around trying to type in coherent phrases? Good luck with that!
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  • Profile picture of the author ganang
    When I first started IM,

    I'm promoting as affiliate, using blogger, it's free but you need to provide informational content,

    i'm sure it keep your budget..
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  • Profile picture of the author Kecia
    If upfront costs are an issue, you may want to start by offering your services to other marketers. You mentioned that you can write well, which is a great service that you can provide to others. Many will happily pay to avoid writing their own articles. Writing is how I got my start, and still continue to write some original content for others in order to have upfront money to live and fund my IM projects.

    You could the choose your plan of attack for your first site. I recommend that you begin with just one blog, and learn as much as you can about getting a site up and running. You are correct in saying that domains can get costly, and too many purchase a bunch and then never get around to use most to their fullest potential.
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    KeciaHambrick.com - Blogger. Content Creator. Social Media Enthusiast.
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