Archive for the ‘Closet Entrepreneur’ Category

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3. How to Research the Products You Are Going to Sell Online

Wednesday, June 27th, 2012
The Closet Entrepreneur by Kendra Leah Fuller

By , @Writing2Day

Once you have found your niche it’s time to do some product availability research. What I mean by this is, will the manufacturers or wholesalers be willing to sell to you? Not all vendors will sell to a store that is home-based. Many are stuck in an archaic mindset that an online store is not the same as a brick and mortar store. I could argue this until I’m blue in the face but many vendors have this policy in place. My policy was if they did not specifically ask if I had a brick and mortar store, I usually did not offer it up.

Another thing you need to consider when choosing vendors is whether or not they sell their own products online. While I don’t consider this a deal breaker, I will caution you that it may not be the best idea to go into direct competition with the supplier. (more…)

Posted in 1. Getting Started | 1 Comment »

2. How to Choose a Product or Service for Your Internet Business

Tuesday, June 26th, 2012
The Closet Entrepreneur by Kendra Leah Fuller

By , @Writing2Day

Before we get started I suggest you grab a notebook or open up a new Word document on your computer. We are going to be doing some brainstorming and then focus in further on those ideas. These answers will become part of the basis for your business plan (don’t groan, yes you need one) which we will delve into in the next chapter.

One of the most important decisions you will make before starting your Internet business is, “What product or service am I going to sell?” You want to choose a product that you are familiar with. Think about your hobbies and interests. What excites you? You are in this for the long haul and you don’t want to become bored with what you are selling after six months. (more…)

Posted in 1. Getting Started | 4 Comments »

1. The Closet Entrepreneur – Intro

Friday, June 22nd, 2012
The Closet Entrepreneur by Kendra Leah Fuller

By , @Writing2Day

I have many passions in life, among them are writing and entrepreneurship. I love to write fiction but my love and experience of starting my own businesses has led me to put that experience to paper. Yes, I said businesses. I have actually started several businesses over my lifetime, the first when I was nineteen years old. My how the world has changed since then.

When I was nineteen, the computer I was familiar with had a black screen and green lines for inputting information. I can still remember the fascination I felt when we got our home computer and I browsed the Internet for the first time. Amazing! Every once in a while technology will slap me upside the head and this was one of those times. Little did I know then that a pastime would lead me in to a new business venture. (more…)

Posted in 1. Getting Started | No Comments »

So You’re Putting Up Your Own Website? A Helpful Checklist

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011
The Closet Entrepreneur by Kendra Leah Fuller

By , @Writing2Day

I’ve been very busy over the past few days customizing and making tweeks to my new website.  It’s nowhere close to being done but as I’m working out the tweeks and kinks, it occurs to me that I need to remind myself of some of the basics when developing a new website.

First and foremost, “Keep it simple stupid!”  I shout this at myself because this time around I definitely need a reminder. I have not been actively pursuing web design for about three years now and my how the landscape has changed, especially when it comes to social marketing. I’m thinking back to my online retail store and what was going on with web design and online marketing at that point. Google AdWords was where it was at for our business, along with SEO pages that consistently ranked on page one of Google. Not much has changed as far as Google, it is still the end all, be all of search but now the world is full of tweets, likes, shares, diggs and whatnots. (more…)

Posted in 3. Building Your Business Website | No Comments »

Beyond Pay Per Click: Advertise your eBook for Free on Plugboards

Sunday, July 10th, 2011
The Closet Entrepreneur by Kendra Leah Fuller

By , @Writing2Day

A good online marketing campaign incorporates many different advertising venues such as, pay per click, banner ads, and social networking. Along with paid advertising, there are many places a person can advertise for free online. After ten years of doing business on the internet, I thought you couldn’t teach this old dog any new tricks…enter plug boards.

This neat little tool is very simple. Basically, it is a board of advertising that someone is displaying on their website or blog. All you need is the right size image, along with the url for that image (where it resides on the internet) and the url of the page you want to link to.
To find out the url for your image, right click on it then click properties. You will see the http:// address for the image. Just copy and paste it into the form on the plug board. Obviously, you can only do this with images you have the right to distribute. (more…)

Posted in 5. Advertising Your Online Business | No Comments »

Beyond Pay per Click: Create a Buzz with Social Marketing on Facebook

Friday, July 8th, 2011
The Closet Entrepreneur by Kendra Leah Fuller

By , @Writing2Day

Ask any business owner what is the best form of free advertising they can think of and they will invariably respond with “Word of Mouth”. Known as “Viral Marketing” on the internet, social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter should be used to create a buzz for business services and products.

The first step in creating your business page is to go to www.facebook.com. Towards the bottom right of the page, under the Sign In button, you will see a link to “Create a Page for a celebrity, band, or business. Click this link, choose the type of business from the drop down menu, name your page, and click “Create Official Page”. (more…)

Posted in 5. Advertising Your Online Business | No Comments »

Designing Your Business Website

Saturday, July 2nd, 2011

 

The Closet Entrepreneur by Kendra Leah Fuller

By , @Writing2Day

I recently had a conversation with a newbie to the world of e-commerce that really brought to mind some of the mistakes people can make when first bringing their business online. For those of us who can not afford to pay a web designer, we find ourselves tasked with building our own website. And, take it from someone who has evolved from a self-taught beginner, there are many mistakes that can be made from concept to design and implementation.

The business mentioned above is selling home-made goat’s milk soaps straight from their farm here in South Dakota. They are currently utilizing a Facebook fan page as a means of advertising and selling their product with some success. Kudos, they are using social marketing which many existing online retailers have yet to embrace. The problem here is if they are serious about growing their online business, they need an e-commerce website. (more…)

Posted in 3. Building Your Business Website | No Comments »

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