E-Commerce/online business anything else?

[shaboo]

Ive reading and posting on the forum and all i seem to come across is online ventures, web related business, selling etc...

What i am trying to figure out from all the young guns is that everyone is trying to make a quick buck from nothing. time. experience. preparationand so on

alot of the sites that have been posted as examples are just terrible, as a consumer myself (we all are) i personally wouldnt purchase of the site just becuase the way it looks (shabby/cheap)

i find that everything is done cheaply these days and everyone is ripping everyone off at any expense.

i live and work in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and some of these proposals ive seen wouldnt even make it on the plane here, if they did they would get arrested and deported.

i find members posting questions that they respond to after receiving responses, helpful responses mind you and question directed back at the topic.

Back to my point. I have been wondering why i havnt seen any physical business here. Im currently am in the development of 3 middle eastern franchises that my team and i intend to release by the end of the year, i know in my introduction i explained i explained what we actually are "the collective" and its quite obvious in the examples i have given.

i dont believe i have seen any related posts in any of the topics in regards to anything phsycial.

correct me if im wrong but is this the online young entrepreneurs forums?

i may have missed something

[ceo77]

Ive reading and posting on the forum and all i seem to come across is online ventures, web related business, selling etc...

What i am trying to figure out from all the young guns is that everyone is trying to make a quick buck from nothing. time. experience. preparationand so on

alot of the sites that have been posted as examples are just terrible, as a consumer myself (we all are) i personally wouldnt purchase of the site just becuase the way it looks (shabby/cheap)

i find that everything is done cheaply these days and everyone is ripping everyone off at any expense.

i live and work in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and some of these proposals ive seen wouldnt even make it on the plane here, if they did they would get arrested and deported.

i find members posting questions that they respond to after receiving responses, helpful responses mind you and question directed back at the topic.

Back to my point. I have been wondering why i havnt seen any physical business here. Im currently am in the development of 3 middle eastern franchises that my team and i intend to release by the end of the year, i know in my introduction i explained i explained what we actually are "the collective" and its quite obvious in the examples i have given.

i dont believe i have seen any related posts in any of the topics in regards to anything phsycial.

correct me if im wrong but is this the online young entrepreneurs forums?

i may have missed something

I agree to a certain extent. I think the days of making quick bucks in ecommerce have come and gone at least 4 to 5 years ago. The market is too saturated with people doing the same hustle. People are attracted to ecommerce by nature because more and more people are online now. The market is also technically bigger because of its reach across the globe. The problem with the current business model is people think it can be done overnight. They think you can take shortcuts when in actuality it takes massive research and market strategy. It would probably be a lot easier to start off line on a local level gain traction and develop a legit identity.

I decided to stop trying to sell a "product" and focused on developing and marketing an actual skill. Ofcourse there is competion but the market for my services is unlimited so theres enough business for everyone to eat. Its hard work but the rewards make it worth it.

[flnazrael]

There is still tons of money to be made in ecommerce.

The dot com bubble has no in no way burst - if anything, there is now a Web 2.0 bubble. There is more than one twenty-something multi-billionaire who started just a few years ago with nothing but some code and a good idea.

Things are getting more saturated, yes, but even brick and mortar markets are saturated. The bottom line is still being more innovative, more creative, and a better marketer than the other people in your niche.

I think the reason most of the young entrepreneurs here are attracted to ecommerce is that you can start an online business with little or nothing, whereas brick and mortar operations can require major capital - which many of us do not have at this point.

Especially in my situation, as a web developer who is accustomed to setting up stores, blogs, etc., I can create a revenue stream with little or no money down. I would love to start a brick and mortar one day... but for now, it's hard to look beyond the Web.

[shaboo]

"you can start an online business with little or nothing"

i agree but the quality of the 'up and coming' and what they expect from consumers is ridiculous

to a point where you can purchase templates that are actually presentably.

you can cut oh so many costs on any business but we all know presentation is the most important

you can sell crap to anyone, just make it look good

[MoneyMagnet]

You must be blind if you can't think of any people on this board who have brick and mortar businesses.

[armenh]

Ive reading and posting on the forum and all i seem to come across is online ventures, web related business, selling etc...

What i am trying to figure out from all the young guns is that everyone is trying to make a quick buck from nothing. time. experience. preparationand so on

alot of the sites that have been posted as examples are just terrible, as a consumer myself (we all are) i personally wouldnt purchase of the site just becuase the way it looks (shabby/cheap)

i find that everything is done cheaply these days and everyone is ripping everyone off at any expense.

i live and work in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and some of these proposals ive seen wouldnt even make it on the plane here, if they did they would get arrested and deported.

i find members posting questions that they respond to after receiving responses, helpful responses mind you and question directed back at the topic.

Back to my point. I have been wondering why i havnt seen any physical business here. Im currently am in the development of 3 middle eastern franchises that my team and i intend to release by the end of the year, i know in my introduction i explained i explained what we actually are "the collective" and its quite obvious in the examples i have given.

i dont believe i have seen any related posts in any of the topics in regards to anything phsycial.

correct me if im wrong but is this the online young entrepreneurs forums?

i may have missed something

I really agree with you, all I can speak for is myself and what I have seen is people my age, 16, that i know of on this forum and various other sites tend to be only involved in the online world. I tend to like corporate business much more than online marketing, is the conclusion I have reached through my experiences. Also a tangible business is more of an entity for an owner than a site. You feel personally attached to that business not so much with a site that you built...I hope you see what I am getting at. Also, it is more tangible and more fun for me and a greater experience than just building a site and marketing it to make money, that might be an aspect of it but not a very big one for any business. The reason I think most of the younger people or the young entrepreneurs you are referring to are invloved in more internet businesses rather than brick and mortar ones is because of the fact that most of them have grown up with a computer in front of them and have made good use of it, by making sites and bringing in income, which is great. Another factor would be not having the resources to begin a Brick and Mortar Business and to keep up with it. I do agree that this forum is more of a "techy" one in the sense that we get more questions about I have a business plan and its for a website for selling this or social networking, than I have an invention or some sort of business I would like to market or whats the best way to market a product, recent seminars, or cold calling techniques, etc...

[armenh]

You must be blind if you can't think of any people on this board who have brick and mortar businesses.

What???? I see more signatures here about sites that dont have a physical address than ones that do...And people just trying to gain some Page Rank then do anything more productive.

[Threethan]

Considering this is an online forum, it'd be a little far fetched to expect online business owners to now advertise their online store/business/whatever. That'd be like going to a tradeshow and the businesses there not advertising their wares. It makes no sense.

Personally, it's been a few days, maybe a week since I've been on the forums, but I know for a fact of at least one 'brick and mortar' business that was started up from a user of this forum.

I don't know how many 'b&m' businesses there are on the forums, but rest assured, this isn't just for online entrepreneurs.

[MoneyMagnet]

This thread is like a 2 wheel drive car stuck in mud and doing nothing but digging a hole.

[Cody.Z.Chang]

This is a very interesting topic that I believe will conclude in 'We agree to disagree'...Anyways...

Having started, operated, and maintained, a brick-and-mortar business, multiple online ventures, AND a combination of the two, I must say, Online is the way to go.

The World Wide Web provides 'limit-less real estate' for your business. You can buy terabytes of space for your eBiz and continue to expand by simply buying more, at the fraction of a physical space. Its not that 'young guns are making quick bucks by skipping the experience, time and money'. In fact, quite the opposite, its BECAUSE 'young guns' do NOT have experience or money (time is another issue) that they start eBusinesses. It SAVES money and builds confidence from an unknown consumer base. Internet businesses serve as a stepping stone for many first time young entrepreneur's that really have nothing to go from. Yes they should seek mentors, and friends, and other advice, but ultimately, its them that but the labor to the work. Not ALL young entrepreneurs have the raw determination and fire-in-the-belly to dive straight into the business. eBusinesses are the perfect platform for them to wet their feet, test their knowledge, and evaluate their plans.

Just one reason why YEntrepreneur's choose the Internet path...