[mikael84]

Hi,

I’m currently writing a business plan which basically presents a new website business opportunity.
At the end, there are some numbers and financial stuff.

In the Excel document, lots of cells/tables/graphics rely, in one way or another, on the website traffic projections (e.g.: online advertisement revenue).

The problem is that those projections are a bit rubbish really, they are based on “what looks reasonable from my vague knowledge of that topic” and “what is necessary to reach a break even point” and other fishy/dodgy origins…

What I would like to do is to have some of my numbers relying on assumptions that are a bit more reliable, like traffic of similar websites in their first year for example.

So far, I didn’t manage to find that. Some website gives lots of documents from former dotcoms companies, like their business plan for example (e.g.: http://www.businessplanarchive.org/access/ ), but I didn’t find reliable traffic data from new dotcom companies.

Do any of you know where I could find reliable traffic data for existing websites or websites who failed in the past???? It would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Mikael

[akula]

hi Mikael

yes, there is unreliable data from sec filings/alexa/nielsen/comcast/quantcast/compete.com

no, there is no reliable data

in any case, none of this data (even if you had it) would be relevant

you're stuck in analysis paralysis, you're not out doing customer surveys and booking payments

if you had managerial oversight, you would be fired for your incompetence

cut the analysis paralysis, go out and make some sales

good luck,

danny

[mikael84]

Hi Akula,

Relax man :-)

Trust me, I do other stuff too...
Product prototyping, development, Market Search (for some aspect of the idea)
Legal issues (really relevant to my stuff)

But the thing is, when you show a project to somebody you want to have onboard, he has the right to ask for numbers/figures.

Even, if you know the numbers are not right, it's still better to show him "wrong numbers" 50% below or above the truth than "horribly wrong numbers" five orders of magnitude below or above the truth.... Or to discover too late, that your idea needs 50 000 000 visits/day to make the business profitable.

Again, I don't put any trust in those traffic projections, wherever they are coming from, but I need something, at least for Communication purpose and for having at least, a very (very) vague idea.

Anyway, thanks for the names, gonna have a look tonight.

Mikael