What to do with £2000 ($3100)?

59 replies
Hi all,

I have £2k with which to start my IM business. I have a blueprint which will be sales funnel leading to affiliate product to start with (working on my own product but will take a while) with usual web 2.0 and blog leading into the funnel. I've built a couple of blogs on wordpress but not to a very good standard and I'm OK at writing but don't really enjoy it at the moment.

My question is this; with £2k or $3.1k, what would you do with the money in order to capitalise on outsourcing and get this project off the ground as quickly as possible? Should I spend on building the basics or do it my self and spend the money on advertising/PPC of which I have no experience?

No funny answers such as "send it to me," "buy my WSO" etc. please!

Cheers
#$3100
  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by trotters View Post

    My question is this; with £2k or $3.1k, what would you do with the money
    I'd still do exactly what I did in 2008: spend $60 or so to set up my business, perhaps a little more, and either keep the rest or spend it on shoes (could get at least two new pairs of Louboutins out of the change, there).

    Originally Posted by trotters View Post

    in order to capitalise on outsourcing
    I wouldn't want "to capitalise on outsourcing": I'd want to learn how to do things myself.

    I do still outsource some things, now. I outsource stuff I don't know how to do myself and have never made the effort to learn competently, and that limits me and is a nuisance and I recommend that you should avoid my mistakes, and outsource less than I do (and I don't outsource a lot, now).

    Outsourcing isn't "an alternative to work". It's a skill-set all of its own. Take it from someone who has too much experience of it, both successful and unsuccessful: it isn't always as easy as many people pretend/assume.

    It's easier to outsource things you do know how to do yourself than things you don't know how to do.

    Becoming successful in online marketing (with the sort of business model you describe, or anything similar) necessarily involves acquiring skills.

    Originally Posted by trotters View Post

    and get this project off the ground as quickly as possible?
    That wouldn't be my main priority at all.

    Think of it like a jumbo jet taking off: it needs a very long runway, and trying to get it off the ground "as quickly as possible" may turn out later to have been a distinctly less-than-optimal decision.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7750171].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author trotters
      Thanks Alexa, can I ask what you spent the $60 on? Was it just on hosting and domains? Will probably get a new Mac rather than shoes!!!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7750187].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
        Banned
        Originally Posted by trotters View Post

        Thanks Alexa, can I ask what you spent the $60 on? Was it just on hosting and domains?
        Yes, you need a domain-name (or two?), some hosting (not from the same place where you register the domain-names), and an autoresponder subscription (GetResponse or Aweber recommended - don't use a "free autoresponder": that's a false economy and potentially a big mistake).

        I spent the $60-ish twice, near enough, to be honest, when I started, because I had absolutely no idea what I was doing at all.

        (If it helps/interests you, this is what I do - maybe totally different from your plans, though: http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post5721774 )

        Originally Posted by trotters View Post

        Will probably get a new Mac rather than shoes!!!
        Eww, I wouldn't know how to operate one of those: would have to outsource it ... :p
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7750225].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Will Edwards
          Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

          Yes, you need a domain-name (or two?), some hosting (not from the same place where you register the domain-names)
          Hi Alexa

          I have heard that advice given here before, but nobody has ever explained why. I have a mixture of sites with domains and hosting purchased through the same vendor, mainly for convenience, and domains with hosting from a separate company.

          I cannot see any real advantage in separating them, unless you mean that you can usually get a slightly better deal. Is that it or is there something else?

          Will
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7753730].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
            Banned
            Originally Posted by Will Edwards View Post

            Hi Alexa

            I have heard that advice given here before, but nobody has ever explained why.
            I have, occasionally. Paul Myers has, sometimes. And Brad Anderson has ... but posts get "buried in the deluge", of course.

            Originally Posted by Will Edwards View Post

            I cannot see any real advantage in separating them, unless you mean that you can usually get a slightly better deal. Is that it or is there something else?
            Something else.

            This forum (just like other IM forums) also contains "horror stories" of the unforeseen "accidents" (some of them in fact "disasters") which people could so easily have avoided simply by registering and hosting in two different places. Having the registration and the hosting in the same place is really inadvisable. In a sense, admittedly, it only really matters if/when something goes wrong. (But, as we all know, that "only happens all the time").

            If your host isn't also your registrar, then in the event of any accident/problem, if anything ever goes wrong with your hosting, you're in control, not them. And can avoid nightmares, disasters, long delays and entirely unexpected "ransom demands". And can re-host your site somewhere else the next day, minimising the commercial interruption.

            Brad expresses it very well, with several well-known examples, in this post.

            It's one of those issues which so many people look at and think to themselves "Eew, well, those are all other people and they must have done something wrong: it wouldn't ever happen to me".

            Until someone on one of their lists reports them, even with absolutely no justification at all, to their host for alleged "spamming" and their website disappears and the host (in accordance with its TOS which few people have ever read all the way through at the time they registered the domain) suddenly wants hundreds of dollars to release the domain so they can get it back online somewhere else.

            As a search of this forum will show, Go Daddy, in particular, is notorious for causing major problems and interruptions to its clients' businesses in this regard. But it can be done even by some "good hosts", too!

            The point is that "whether something goes wrong" may not be within your own control - it can be just fairly random.

            Paul Myers' comment in this thread is significant, also

            Originally Posted by PerformanceMarketing View Post

            I would also hire a Philippinno assistant right from the get go, $150/$200 a month and you'll have a full timer.
            What sort of full timer, for that price? I think you're typically looking at around twice that, for someone competent, who speaks decent English, has a reliable internet connection, some experience, and so on. But this seems very strange advice to be giving a beginning marketer, anyway?
            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7753781].message }}
            • Profile picture of the author Will Edwards
              Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

              I have, occasionally. Paul Myers has, sometimes. And Brad Anderson has ... but posts get "buried in the deluge", of course.
              Thanks Alexa - Brad's explanation is very clear indeed and I appreciate you taking the time to provide your own explanation.

              Will
              {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7753870].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ralchevd
    I'd say spend them slowly over few months on building a brand.
    What you get for sure:
    - Pleasure. - I bet that you will enjoy every single penny spent.
    - Name. - Choose a niche that you are familiar with, and build your brand.
    - Skills. - Spending them slowly and wisely, you will gain a lot of knowledge.

    I won't advice any risky method.
    That is a great budget for any startup.

    Wish ya luck, mate
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7750208].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
    I think you'd be best keeping that cash in your pocket.

    Based upon what you've said you're going to do, that money will be gone quickly, and you'll be wondering what on earth happened.
    Signature

    BS free SEO services, training and advice - SEO Point

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7750219].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author trotters
      More than happy to save the cash!

      I guess the thing I'm most concerned about is the blog as this is going to be what visitors see. I'm worried I'll mess up all the plug ins and also make it look crap. Is it worth buying an optimised theme and then fill it with my own content?
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7750315].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author ralchevd
        Originally Posted by trotters View Post

        More than happy to save the cash!

        I guess the thing I'm most concerned about is the blog as this is going to be what visitors see. I'm worried I'll mess up all the plug ins and also make it look crap. Is it worth buying an optimised theme and then fill it with my own content?
        It is good that you worry about that. Most people around here don't care for the look/func. of their blogs, recently.

        It is good to have a premium theme installed, but keep in mind that they require some skills too. If you are patient you won't have any problems setting it up.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7750354].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
        Banned
        Originally Posted by trotters View Post

        I guess the thing I'm most concerned about is the blog as this is going to be what visitors see.
        I think (if you're planning to do affiliate marketing) your autoresponder series and deliverability and open-rates should be what you're most concerned about, because those are things that most proximally determine your income.

        After that, it should be your traffic sources, and how targeted and responsive they are, because that's the thing that "next-most proximally" determines your income (I would venture to suggest that the more SEO-dependent your traffic sources are, the lower your long-term success-rate and income are likely to be, but we're getting ahead of ourselves, now).

        Only a long way behind that is the site so important, really. The main purpose of the site is just to collect the opt-in, anyway (you'll make very few sales apart from to those visitors opting in - we all do). That's not to say that you can get away with a dreadful site, but "the appearance of the site" isn't high on the list of income-determing factors, as long as it's decent. Clean and simple is always good. No distractions, no clutter, and nothing "salesy" apart from a nice, big, bold, prominently incentivized opt-in right at the top of the landing page, offering something of great value in exchange for their email addresses. This is about all that matters.

        If you want to use WordPress (and it sounds like you do, and I'm not suggesting you shouldn't) just make up a little list of needed plugins (as few as possible) and when you pay someone $10 to install your blog - if you want to - pay them $10 more to put in the few plugins you need, with it. This isn't worth talking about.

        Originally Posted by trotters View Post

        Is it worth buying an optimised theme and then fill it with my own content?
        Can't help you there: I don't use WordPress. :p

        What it's "worth" is being aware that site design is enormously overdiscussed here (and in all other IM forums): it's a subject that interests marketers hugely, but most good customers typically very little at all. Ugly sites often convert better than fancy ones.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7751222].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author salmanijaz
          Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

          What it's "worth" is being aware that site design is enormously overdiscussed here (and in all other IM forums): it's a subject that interests marketers hugely, but most good customers typically very little at all. Ugly sites often convert better than fancy ones.
          Completely agree with that part ... i think the uglier the site the more it stands out and get more attention .... same goes for the landing pages also .... by uglier i mean simpler ....
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7751584].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author johnben1444
      Originally Posted by John Romaine View Post

      I think you'd be best keeping that cash in your pocket.

      Based upon what you've said you're going to do, that money will be gone quickly, and you'll be wondering what on earth happened.
      Yeah, and before you know it, there would be a negative thought about how the internet works..
      Signature
      Grow your social media account, Spotify Streams, YT Views & IG Followers & More
      Software & Mobile APP Developer
      Buy Spotify, Facebook Bot & IG M/S Method
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7759927].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Malcolm Thomas
    Alexa gave you some very solid advice and you'd do well following it. I wouldn't advise you spending and wasting away all of your money. I would instead focus on getting the basics and essentials. A domain name, hosting, autoresponder, and learn as much as you can, and more importantly Take Action.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7750352].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Heart Cardio
    I would take a few more months and do it all myself. Spend as little as possible. Get a good domain , write some awesome content, make the site look awesome. I guess if you can not write, you could hire someone to do that for you.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7750417].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author salmanijaz
    Some really great comments .....
    As Alexa mentioned .... around 60 $ will be enough to get things rolling and then try to build on that .... just outsource minimal work which you can not handle or you dont like ...

    It is really easy to spend 3.1 K $ in IM and i am talking for myself here with different trainings and webinars .... but most of the time the thing which works the best are the things you have learned from experimenting and testing ....

    Another important thing is to focus on one thing ... nowadays there are 100s of WSOs coming everyday explaining different methods of making money and its really easy to get extracted and usually people start jumping from one thing to another and this leads them nowhere .....
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7750566].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author DonnyBoy
    [DELETED]
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7751673].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author celente
    seriously with that money I would do some media buys.

    Could triple my money with testing easy!!!

    I would be ads on your niches blogs and especially forums for lots of nice highly targted traffic. That would be me, and after some testing you should be doing well. :-)
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7752230].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author aceshigh888
    You know people seem to post this stuff all the time.....

    Someone just posted last week what would you with 10k

    Trust me..... Here's what you do with it. You take it out of the bank in various demoninations and you hide it under your mattress! (or some safe place). Trust me you DO NOT WANT TO SPEND THAT MONEY ON IM.

    It's like a 99.9% chance you'll lose it if you spend it on IM. When you're starting IM and you don't have a lot of money you shoe string your way long. That's how you start. Yes affiliate programs are one good starting point. And or possibly do your own site and or product.

    But SHOE STRING IT ALL THE WAY. Then when you finally start making some money (like daily sales) you use that money to grow your site.

    But seriously I'd save that money my friend. There's nothing you can't do for free that you can do for the 3100. I guarantee you that!
    Signature
    EXERCISE: Take a deep breath, hold for 10 seconds, release. ..... There see you feel better now???
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7752289].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author higherluv
      One of the best ways to learn is to learn from your mistakes - and the big one would be to spend every one of those £s on your business online. (so don’t reinvent the wheel… )

      Learn the ropes first (perhaps that can be your first investment depending on the program), and then you’ll know what you should spend it on (which is on hosting, domain names and an autoresponder eventually - but don’t even do that until you’ve found someone to help you, 98% of people who do fail do so without proper (or no) help).

      But if you want to spend the rest on Alexa’s shoes, then that’s up to you… maybe she can help you… :p
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7752313].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by aceshigh888 View Post

      SHOE STRING IT ALL THE WAY.
      I already told him to spend it on shoes. We're essentially in agreement. Probably for the first time this week (mind you, it's only Monday morning) ...
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7753460].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Maecenas23
        Browse forums, Affiliate programs and other similar resources and find a PRODUCT to create. Once you are sure that product is needed, HIRE 1 or 2 Freelance programmers from Odesk and guide him/them to create that product.

        Build a list with some related freebie and start to monetize that list with the product you created.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7753482].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author RedShifted
    I would use the money to buy a dictionary, then quickly locate the word "business".

    Actually, you don't need money to do that, there is wikipedia. And I have kindly taken the time to cite the first 2 sentences from wikipedia.

    Business -

    A business (also known as enterprise or firm) is an organization involved in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers.[1] Business plan and Business model determine the outcome of an active business operation.

    Pay particular attention to the last sentence. Specifically the words "plan" & "model".

    Untill you figure out what a business plan and business model are, you may want to save your money.

    Just saying.

    -Red
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7752361].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author JasonBennet
    You might consider building your own list of subscribers but you want to make sure that you are in the market where there are many other relevant products for you to promote. While you are creating your product, why not just start by having a simple squeeze page and start driving traffic to it so that you will be building the list.

    Once your product is created already, you will already have a small list of subscribers which you can promote. I will invest that money into marketing campaign but remember to track and tweak the campaign along the way.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7752390].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author SamuelCarter
    Hey Trotters,

    There’s been a lot of information which is really good and yeah it’s great.

    I see that you are currently making your own product which is fantastic. You can make good passive income through affiliate marketing, but what about if you had an army of affiliates marketing your product? You are the vendor and creating quality products people want.

    So I’m assuming the mean time whilst you’re having your product developed, If you don’t mind sharing why your product will take a while/ Time frame etc? You have to cautious though because sometime your own products can flop basically.

    Your question, “what would you do with the money in order to capitalise on outsourcing and get this project off the ground as quickly as possible?”

    Personally if this was me, what you’re doing is great learning the basics. Very important but there are some great training courses out there you can get onto. I have seen some WSO about SEO courses and training which are great as you can get a mentor also who can help guide you and show you the things not to do, money well invested?

    So there are opportunities everywhere. Just make decisions and don’t procrastinate

    Outsourcing which you mentioned, It’s great for getting leverage. Platforms like Odesk, Elance or Vworker, places to post your job and get contractors to bid for your job however small or big it maybe. You can get experts to do what every you need, Where product/software creation/ebooks/content/marketing/seo and the list goes on!


    Tips for using such platforms, If your not sure, Always check for their portfolio, don't rush into a hiring contractor. Sift through all application, Filter down what you want in the contractor, i.e skills,experience and so on. Also look at their feedback


    So, you mentioned making various sites, Why not have the all that done for you in a short space of time. You could look at good authority sites and replicate their layout as you know it works! so what every niche your in, look who's on page one and the websites listed and their layout/content and so on


    Web developers can make websites for you at little as $50 and this does not necessarily result in lower quality! You should always have a look and get involved. Outsourcing allows you to concentrate on more important roles of your business essentially you are project managing, you are leveraging your time!

    Also you mentioned your love for writing content, you can have content writing, you can have experts in that niche/field creating high quality keyword articles/content and so on… for as little as $10 or less


    You will fail, make mistake but that’s what you learn from, You could save your money but don’t be afraid to take risks. Take risks, don’t literally throw money away but use if wisely but don't procrastinate whilst thinking about spending it, for example,say out of 10 websites you make, 9 of those sites are failures, but it’s there’s that 1 site you are successful, now scale it up for instance 30 sites, 20 sites are failures but 10 are doing amazing well, generating that income !…you will be expected to invest in your business.


    You don’t expect to get success straight away, there is no short cut, I can’t explain how many times, I’ve messed up along the way, but boy can I say you learn quickly!

    So good luck with your product, and I’m not sure what type of product it is, but if you had $3100, you could even create software 30-40% of your budget.

    You can do research on forums, affiliate sites, Click bank for instance. See what are top sellers, and essential create similar software’s/products that you know there is a market for. You don’t have to sell it for an extortionate price but a good irresistible price Some already said something similar. Don’t re-invent the wheel (Higerluv J brought a tear to my eye your quote)

    The revenue you could generate through software’s very lucrative. , If you have a series of products/software, well you know the deal… an army of affiliate doing all the work of selling for you and whilst doing so building your list.

    However FOCUS on your current goal and when you’ve accomplished this then move on to the next.

    So re-cap, , outsource contractor to make a few websites sites (If there are reasonable you could additional get advertisers to advertise on your site, if there generate good traffic- Potentially another model sell via flippa) So then look at software’s and get something made. All the answers and clues are everywhere, just need to start looking

    So, again if you have funds to use, invest it on your business, and on yourself for education but good luck



    Samuel
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7752455].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ayu2013
    Buy high quality Solo Ads to your squeeze page and get your list/leads and convert into more money.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7752959].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author 4DayWeekend
      Rather than letting the money burn a hole in your pocket I'd suggest you keep the money until you need to spend it.

      You have a good plan, follow it. When you encounter a problem on route that you can't tackle yourself, spend some of the money on solving that problem.

      That could be outsourcing some work, buying some software or whatever you need to get you from A to B.

      The fact you are asking us (people who aren't inside your business) suggests that you don't really need to spend the cash. If you needed to spend it, you would know exactly what is required.

      Ask yourself, is this £2000 a real business reserve or just some money you want to spend to make you feel good? If the latter, no problem but you're better off spending it on a nice tv, some new clothes or whatever you like rather than business tools that you will not use.

      If the money is a genuine business reserve sit on it until you need something.

      Best wishes.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7753333].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author webcosmo
    First you`ll need to do a little more research, then make a business plan and slowwwly spend the money on domain, outsourcing, etc.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7753488].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author jordan33
    Casino........
    Signature
    WEBSITE FOR SALE
    Make over $200 per day.
    Website + Money making method
    NEEDS TO BE SOLD TODAY - Only $30!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7753491].message }}
  • {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7753631].message }}
  • Personally, I wouldn't advise building web 2.0, blogs etc to begin.

    The most important thing you will find to scaling a business is distribution.

    In the context of online marketing, this is traffic.

    I would suggest you learn how to drive traffic to affiliate CPA offers initially.

    Learn how to buy media.

    Personally, I would also hire a Philippinno assistant right from the get go, $150/$200 a month and you'll have a full timer.

    They can then do the dogs work for you.

    £2k doesn't give you a huge margin for error however, and I could certainly not guarantee with any certainty that you will be running at a profit to begin with.

    Let me know if you have any further questions
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7753734].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author jimmyjammy
      Originally Posted by PerformanceMarketing View Post

      I would suggest you learn how to drive traffic to affiliate CPA offers initially.

      Learn how to buy media.

      Personally, I would also hire a Philippinno assistant right from the get go, $150/$200 a month and you'll have a full timer.

      They can then do the dogs work for you.
      I have a philipino assistant working for about that much, but in your case above, what is the dogs work in the situation of media buys for cpa offers?
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7761870].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ValueSeekr
    While I can't comment from an IM perspective, I can provide a general business perspective.

    Normally, the chances of success are inversely proportional to the initial investment. Translated into English, this means that you are much more likely to be successful if you have a small investment. This principle is the same for every industry I can think of. Do you know of any successful businesses that started big? I can't.

    This is due to two factors:
    1) If you invest your $3,100, your website has to make $3,100 just to break even. That's a huge amount of money before you make a dime.
    2) If you start small and devise a plan that works, you can slowly scale it up. By 'slowly', I mean a month or two. And you can do that in a profitable way. Your total investment might only be a couple hundred pounds and it might yield a 100% Return on investment.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7759705].message }}
  • Hello trotters,

    I would recommend doing the basics yourself, and using the money for the following:

    1. Professional graphic design: In my opinion, you don't skimp on graphics. Unless you're a designer yourself, I highly recommend getting a modestly priced professional to assist you in making your Web properties look sleek and modern.

    2. Professional copywriting/editing: How are you writing skills? If you're not a great writer, I recommend enlisting some talented help. Or, even if you are a good writer, having a talented editor can do wonders for you sales letter and other valuable copy. Try and find one that specializes in affiliate or at least Internet marketing in general.

    3. Paid traffic: Once you have everything setup, paid traffic is an effective way to test, and even drive sales. If you're doing everything correctly, you'll learn very valuable insights with paid traffic, or even get a nice ROI.

    Hope this helps. This is similarly to where I spend my capital both when I started and currently. Everything else I believe is a luxury

    Let me know if you have any questions!

    Chris Heuwetter

    Originally Posted by trotters View Post

    Hi all,

    I have £2k with which to start my IM business. I have a blueprint which will be sales funnel leading to affiliate product to start with (working on my own product but will take a while) with usual web 2.0 and blog leading into the funnel. I've built a couple of blogs on wordpress but not to a very good standard and I'm OK at writing but don't really enjoy it at the moment.

    My question is this; with £2k or $3.1k, what would you do with the money in order to capitalise on outsourcing and get this project off the ground as quickly as possible? Should I spend on building the basics or do it my self and spend the money on advertising/PPC of which I have no experience?

    No funny answers such as "send it to me," "buy my WSO" etc. please!

    Cheers
    Signature
    Make Big Money in South Florida Real Estate!
    Our real estate team takes your online and offline generated home buyer and seller leads, and converts them into BIG money in return. We're currently looking for international partners located in UK, Russia, China, Brazil, and more. PM me today for more information. Start earning what your worth by creating a niche in real estate.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7759732].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author drbrucehoag
    As someone remarked earlier, spend it slowly.

    After you get yourself set up online, then you need some products to sell. I recommend that you create some jointly. One of my favorite sayings is: nothing ventured; nothing gained.

    Find some people, maybe here in this forum, who would be willing to create products with you in your niche. Then use your money for marketing. Since the results of marketing don't occur overnight (for most people), you want to spend it wisely and at a rate that will give you some financial returns before you run out.

    The plan, then, would be to replenish your marketing money with sales on your products.

    And by the way, in order to get someone to create those products with you, you'd need to offer them at least a 50/50 split on the income.
    Signature

    Cheers, Bruce

    Hire a Published Author With PhD to Write Your Articles >> Click Here

    Bruce Hoag, PhD

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7759895].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ExpertSEOServices
    I would invest this money to build up a network of sites that are earning you profits on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.

    Build up your income and re invest to build further until you reach your goals
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7760494].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author MyNewMama
    Whatever you can do very well yourself, do it and whatever you're not an expert in, take the Henry Ford approach and find someone else who can do it for you.

    Depending upon your financial situation and timeline, you can always take the time to learn whatever it is you don't know...and save your money for capital or a cushion for those slow times in business.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7760749].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author floralysp
    Invest in a few mns or a authority site with an older domain.
    There are many such services that offer authority sites for 350$ with 10 1k-10k keywords.

    If you have already a working site or business model, well then just upscale!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7760851].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Josh Monroe
    Others have done a good job at guiding you in the right direction.

    For me personally it would be two things -

    1. First and most importantly - get an autoresponder and start building your list ASAP. This is something I overlooked when I first got started online as I didn't want the "hassle" of setting one up. I also wasn't looking toward the future and was more interested in making a quick buck. Build your list, offer value and you will have customers for life.

    2. You say you want to promote products as an affiliate first - that's what I did. You know what else I wish I could have changed if I were to do this again? I'd promoted products that offer residual income. Sure, the conversions will be lower BUT at least you will have some income coming in every month without fail.

    So, your two top priorities - Start building a list ASAP and promote at least ONE product that offers residual income.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7760916].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author jimmyjammy
      Originally Posted by Josh Monroe View Post

      You know what else I wish I could have changed if I were to do this again? I'd promoted products that offer residual income. Sure, the conversions will be lower BUT at least you will have some income coming in every month without fail.
      Can anyone point us to some good residual affiliate products?
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7761857].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Malcolm Thomas
    Here's my word of caution for you:

    Invest and spend it wisely. it's extremely easy to lose money quickly online if you don't have any idea what you're doing.

    Read and learn as much as you can.

    Oh Yeah I forgot the most important thing, TAKE ACTION.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7760949].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author FreshAndThemes
    Come up with a plan... Write the plan down... Drip feed your project with the funds you have available setting up milestones along the way to check you are keeping a lid on the expenditures.

    You'll soon know if you've made the right investment.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7760963].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author SandraLarkin
    Banned
    Well you need to know exactly how your business works before you blow $3k on it. Are you 100% sure your sales funnel will sell? If not, do not blow your money, you must test.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7761022].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author iWebProfits
    Pay a professional on Odesk to craft a sales funnel that you know will either break even or make a small profit on the front end, and then drive oodles of traffic to it.

    Make sure you stay themed, such as a niche marketing or list building funnel, than you will only market niche marketing wsos and clickbank offers to the list, much higher conversions.
    Signature

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7761060].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author sdlive
    dump it into this penny stock called IMDS http://stockcharts.com/h-sc/ui?s=IMD...d=p74076834363
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7761071].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author 2cents
    If it were my money, I'd buy an IM squeeze page and use the rest of the money to drive traffic to my site. After that, turn around and sell solo ads. There's a little more to it but not much If you pay someone to set it up. I'd be profiting in days.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7761206].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author mikelmraz
    Originally Posted by trotters View Post

    Hi all,

    I have £2k with which to start my IM business. I have a blueprint which will be sales funnel leading to affiliate product to start with (working on my own product but will take a while) with usual web 2.0 and blog leading into the funnel. I've built a couple of blogs on wordpress but not to a very good standard and I'm OK at writing but don't really enjoy it at the moment.

    My question is this; with £2k or $3.1k, what would you do with the money in order to capitalise on outsourcing and get this project off the ground as quickly as possible? Should I spend on building the basics or do it my self and spend the money on advertising/PPC of which I have no experience?

    No funny answers such as "send it to me," "buy my WSO" etc. please!

    Cheers
    Send to my address at: 12 Hershire Road, Papua New Guinea

    I will keep it safe for you.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7761710].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Deezign
    Well, you can definitely do a lot of things with $3K. Without detailing too much, If I were you I would:

    Step 1: Select a nice affiliate offer in a "hot" niche.

    Step 2: Purchase a PLR ebook based on the niche/topic your affiliate offer is in.

    Step 3: Create a nice squeeze page to start building a list of subscribers (each time someone registers, they get access (freely) to the ebook you've purchased in step 2).

    Step 4: Invest money in solo ads to keep building your list (make sure to target the right list).

    Step 5: Promote your affiliate offer to your list of subscribers.

    Step 6: Make money
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7761797].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author goldmineberry
      Banned
      Hi,

      I always follow this 7 Steps to Making Money Online:

      Step 1: Keyword Research

      Step 2: Market Research

      Step 3: Website Design & Development

      Step 4: Content Creation

      Step 5: Monetization

      Step 6: SEO-Optimization

      Step 7: Automate Your Website Business and Focus On What You Do Best

      Duplicate the above 7 Steps on various niche websites and create multiple streams of passive income online.

      Promote and Prosper!
      Anson
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7767583].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author CherryAffairs
    I will allocate as much as I can into marketing. But all depends I would outsource those that I don't have any competence in doing and those that is not important that everyone will do the same standard of job as me. You would have to weigh it by yourself.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7762372].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author sdlive
    look at where the stock now after my february 19 2013. lolz. fuackers
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7763189].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author thebiznezz
    Hi there,
    The first thing I would say is you dont need anything like £2000 to start an internet business. Problem is there are so many ways to make money on the internet and most people dabble in all of them and make a success of none. Here are my tips.

    1. If you have not done so join The War Room on the Warrior Forum, you will learn so much

    2. Ignore most of the so called gurus, READ THIS TWICE - THERE IS NO MAGIC BULLET. Internet marketing is a business you build up properly and ethically like any other business. Try to do it differently and you will fail

    3. If you are trying to market to people in the UK - forget all the bullshit about "I only have so many of this product available" or "get it right now as it will probably be gone by...." Others may fall for this crap but not customers from the UK or any savvy ones worldwide.

    4. If you decide to follow people, make sure they have proved themselves. I followed a couple of really good UK ones and have been very happy. By proving themselves, I dont mean showing some fake Clickbank cheque or similar, I can knock them up easily. Read and research as much as you can about anyone you decide to follow, before parting with your cash.

    OK £2000. I would basically join the War Room and try to have a go based on what you can learn for free on here. Do a couple of sites selling affiliate products or using Adsense for an earner maybe. Then maybe select one of the reputable mentors to follow and get into one of their groups, careful selection required.

    Let me just say that you can learn so much from this forum as well as researching various mentors. I spent a fortune learning and looking back most of the courses etc were CRAP. If you want to message me with your email I would be happy to do you a short video showing how you could utilise information in the War Room to get your own product or to show you how to set up an affiliate site or similar. I am happy to show you for free and there will be no affiliate links I promise.

    Finally, if you are looking for that magic button, it does not exist. What does exist however are marketers who try to persuade you it does and rip you off. Learn as much as you can for FREE and then have a go but dont try everything. Decide on one outlet, maybe, affiliate marketing, Adsense, ebay or whatever and just spend time getting the one idea right. I have had many fail and so will you but eventually as you get more experienced you will get winners. The answer then is to develop what are called "multiple streams of income" in lots of different niches. Hope this has been of help.
    Signature
    Try Sparkol Videoscribe Animation Software - Free for 7 DAYS
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7772682].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Coach Ke
    I would take a small portion of that money...join a company that gives you 100% Pure Profits on affiliate products and take another small portion of that money for advertising, building your list, etc.

    You would make your money back much quicker
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7772699].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author gabgab30
    Im in a company that give me 1.5% on my Investment every day.
    I put a thousand dollars and I now see a return on investment of 15 dollars a day.

    If you are interested I can explain to you exactly what is it
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7773372].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Broyde
    You have read a lot of what people have to say. Now what do you say?

    There is a saying that you can get better advice about what to do by listening to your heart than what 7 men sitting high in a tower can give you.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7786727].message }}

Trending Topics