Starting a Internet Business

NewEntrepreneur · 11-27-2007, 01:53 PM

Hi,

First let me introduce myself. I'm a new to both this forum AND to doing business. I want to start a internet business, but right now, I have no technical skills whatsoever, so bear with me with my questions. Cheers.

Right now, I'm thinking of starting my own website where I could make money, and attract lots and lots of customers. I want to make a website like youtube or facebook. Websites like that really impressed/inspired me.

I want to ask:

1. What sort of website would I best be off with? (I want one that would make me money and gain lots of popularity.
2. What kind of website is most popular today? (e.g. social? shopping?).
3. Which internet domain provider should I go with? (e.g. register.com? I don't really know much domain providers)
4. What things do I need to make a really user friendly website with many features that will attract millions of customers?

I'll be looking forward to your responses.

Thank you,
Jim

2gould · 11-27-2007, 02:13 PM

Jim:
If I could provide you with detailed answers to your questions I wouldn't be at work surfing the net; I would be fishing off of my private island...
I don't mean to be flippant, but instead of focusing on getting rich quick and the business "de jour" think about what you like to do or a problem to which you can provide a solution. Can you offer a service that is in need, do you have an expertise in certain niches?
These are the questions you should be asking yourself - not, what websites make millions of dollars and how do you create them. If it were that easy everyone would be doing it.
Good luck

2gould · 11-27-2007, 02:15 PM

PS> welcome to the forum. Hope it can help you in your business endeavors.

chaunna · 11-27-2007, 02:29 PM

Hi Jim and Welcome to YE

There are many different ways to make money online.. not just the big dogs like myspace and facebook... those are often big ventures that cost a lot upfront and get a big return... but the only way they see a return is with traffic.

if your looking to build one of those sites you'll need to look for a niche or group of people that will attract loads of traffic to your site. Myspace was so popular becasue it was a way to show off what ur doing and connect with friends... heck i still find ppl i havent talked to in 8 years... if you're going to create a site like that you'll need some partners with a lot of know how in the area...

as far as starting as online business.. i'd start a little smaller and learn the biz. I got my online start from russell brunson... he has a free dvd.. you can get it at russellsfreedvdoffer.com [mods: no affiliate]. Thats where i got my dvd and since then, i've had a ton of success online.

If ur serious about making money online there are loads of ppl in here willing to share what their doing and how their making money.. sites like myspace maybe a little difficult to recreate, but more power to ya if ur going to proceed with it!

To continued success...
Chaunna

chaunna · 11-27-2007, 02:40 PM

sorry...forgot to post my responses to ur questions

First, to create the site, I'd suggest using phpizabi or Joomla + Community Builder

1. What sort of website would I best be off with? (I want one that would make me money and gain lots of popularity.

You can do a little market research and find where there are loads of people gathering.. like facebook grabbed college kids, and cafemom grabs moms.. you may want to lok into hobbies (loads of ppl will brag about their hobbies inside a site like myspace)

2. What kind of website is most popular today? (e.g. social? shopping?).

Social Media Marketing is on its upcurve.. I'd focus on social sites.. there are way too many big contendors (amazon, ebay...) in the shopping niche.. for ur first site i'd start small and grow big.. you cant just expect to be big right off the bat.

3. Which internet domain provider should I go with? (e.g. register.com? I don't really know much domain providers)

domains are just the name of your site.. ur may be referring to hosting... (how you will post this new social site to the web)
I like and use 1and1.com for all my sites... and network solutions would be the premium route..whatever you choose you'll want to find a service that will grow with you as you gain more popularity

4. What things do I need to make a really user friendly website with many features that will attract millions of customers? i think i answered this in my first post...

best of luck
chaunna

NewEntrepreneur · 11-27-2007, 05:26 PM

Thank you for all your thoughtful answers. There's just so much to think about and so much to do for an online business.

I have one more question. Whenever I go to a good website (like youtube, or myspace), I could see that its always really user friendly. As a person with minimal html knowledge, I want to know how do they make those cool animation effects (like the windows live light fading effect on buttons) and how do I organize/design my site? Does the host do that for me and I just tell them my requirements?

Thanks in advance,
Jim

chaunna · 11-27-2007, 05:48 PM

No sry... ur host is just a host.. you should will have to hire a webdesigner... if their good they will know how to make ur site user friendly... otherwise you'll have to get a webmaster to maintain your site.. unless you plan to learn how to do everything...

if ur starting from scratch and planning on doing most of the work urself you'll have a long turn around time for this project. However, if you go to scriptlance or elance and tell them what you want... you can pay to have it done alot faster.. just a warning though... its not going to be cheap to get everything done for you...

bzboy · 11-27-2007, 05:59 PM

You have alot of work to do....I think its awesome you want to do something big like the rest of us, but You definitely have your work cut out for you. You seem to be going about this all the wrong ways. If your wanting to get a online business to make millions and your not sure the slightest bit about web developing, you may want to consider something else that interests you. Or of course you can pay some one to do it for you.

BTW: Welcome to the forums and good luck with whatever you decide to do

zedomax · 11-27-2007, 06:57 PM

Hmm... try some paid wikis, that's an untapped market.

NewEntrepreneur · 11-27-2007, 07:05 PM

Again, thank you for all your answers.

I have yet another question:

If you make a website where you could make some money, how does the money actually get to you?

maxwelldev · 11-27-2007, 07:51 PM

OK, I'm a web developer, so I can answer some of these questions:
For hosting/domain registrations, I'd recommend GoDaddy, hands down. Good price, and very reliable.
For money transfer, I use PayPal. Good name recognition, most people trust it. It handles the transaction, so security is taken care of for you. To get money out of it, just transfer it to a bank account.

Max

luemob · 11-27-2007, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NewEntrepreneur

Hi,

First let me introduce myself. I'm a new to both this forum AND to doing business. I want to start a internet business, but right now, I have no technical skills whatsoever, so bear with me with my questions. Cheers.

Right now, I'm thinking of starting my own website where I could make money, and attract lots and lots of customers. I want to make a website like youtube or facebook. Websites like that really impressed/inspired me.

I want to ask:

1. What sort of website would I best be off with? (I want one that would make me money and gain lots of popularity.
2. What kind of website is most popular today? (e.g. social? shopping?).
3. Which internet domain provider should I go with? (e.g. register.com? I don't really know much domain providers)
4. What things do I need to make a really user friendly website with many features that will attract millions of customers?

I'll be looking forward to your responses.

Thank you,
Jim

Well let us start:
Q: I want to make a website like youtube or facebook. Websites like that really impressed/inspired me.
A: Its great that these type of sites inspire you but knowledge in regards of setting up those types of sites coding, php learning would be essential. Great sites to look into: w3schools.com and htmlgoodies.com

Q: 1. What sort of website would I best be off with? (I want one that would make me money and gain lots of popularity.
A: With the knowledge that you don't have you need to look into a CMS type site and learn how to install it on a web server. Midphase.com or Bluehost.com has a device that can install these types of sites in 3 steps. You can even start a forum much like DP. The device should be called "fantastico". Making money on sites will be dependent on your budget or resources to outsource the work to get that done. You'll need money!

Q: 2. What kind of website is most popular today? (e.g. social? shopping?).
A: Shop comparison sites can bring in revenue doing search for product comparisons. Look into this blogger: Black Friday - Profit from the Frenzy | W Revenue dot Com

Q: 3. Which internet domain provider should I go with? (e.g. register.com? I don't really know much domain providers)
A: Click on my sig link for affordable hosting, best bargain in town right now!

Q: 4. What things do I need to make a really user friendly website with many features that will attract millions of customers?
A: Well that is interesting question and not easy to answer, I will have to leave that one to the next poster or until I can think of one ... good luck!

consumertreehouse · 11-28-2007, 02:37 PM

In my opinion, first and foremost, you need to do something is of interest to you. If you start a business that does not really interest you at all, then it will fail, because you won't be behind the product or service 100%, because the product or service really doesn't interest you.

If you are serious about starting a online business don't plan on getting rich quick, because chances are it won't happen. You need to be in it for the long haul.

Good Luck with whatever you decide to do, just make sure you are behind the business 100% and acutally like what you are selling or providing.

BusinessAdviser · 11-28-2007, 03:14 PM

1) List the things you enjoy doing.
2) List the things you are good at.
3) Look to combine at least one thing from each list. If you still need help, THEN come back.

NewEntrepreneur · 11-28-2007, 09:10 PM

Don't get me wrong guys, I LOVE the idea of starting my own website. I think its both interesting and beneficial. The problems I have are lack of experience, and lack of money. I'm a teenager, and I'm basically selling lots of my possessions so I could build a website.

PS: Does $300 a year for a really good internet host sound good to you?

And about the web design, so I'll need lots of html knowledge or I'll need to hire a web designer right? What if I use a software, like Adobe Dreamweaver, or Microsoft Publisher to create my site? Because I'm really low on budget right now.

Thanks