Today I would like to discuss with you this simple question - is it
optional for you to be involved in some sort of online business or is
it a modern life necessity?
Let's see... Are you a multi-millionaire? Are you a business executive
or well paid professional - doctor, lawyer, programmer, etc? Are you a
small business owner or you're a stay-at-home mom?
Did I miss any group in between? Probably I did. Anyway, it does not
really matter who you currently are, what matters is who you're going
to be in the future.
If you're multi-millionaire, you most likely already have an online
division implemented as part of your business model. You know that
billions of people use Internet these days, millions more join each and
every day to find anything they want - information, services, products,
ideas, the list goes on and on to infinity - whatever you think of -
you name it, and chances are pretty good that you can find it on the
Net (even if you're unable to find anything - let's say you're
inventing something new, online resources are invaluable for the
research of the works previously done in your area of interest).
So as a multi-millionaire you definitely wouldn't want to miss such a huge market or your competitors will eat you alive.
If you're a well-paid professional or executive working for a big
corporation, online business could be a great way to legally reduce
your taxes, as a business owner you could write-off a lot of expenses.
You might argue that you can do this with any other business you own,
you don't necessarily have to have the online business for this
purpose. And my answer is - Yes and No. You see, I don't know any
business you can start so easily and inexpensively as your online
business.
To open a franchise, you need a few hundred thousands dollars, to open
any brick and mortar business you need from fifty to a hundred
thousands (may be less sometimes, but not very often).
It takes only a few thousands to start your online business (and this
includes registration fees, professional website design, initial
marketing, etc).
Besides, even if you're paid rather well, you still wouldn't mind to
have additional streams of passive income, wouldn't you? I don't know
any off-line business that can be run on auto-pilot. But there are
hundreds examples of successful online businesses that run on
auto-pilot.
Ok, who's next? A small business owner? Well, is your business booming?
Do you have enough clients? And even if you do, are you able to
interact with them easily and effectively?
Here's how your own website could help you. First of all, Internet is
the hugest market known to the mankind and it's so diverse that you
will be able to sell anything there, from the most weirdest product you
could imagine to any service.
If your services are international - then, by developing the online
part of your business, you will increase your market not tenfold, you
will increase it in thousands of times.
If your business is local by it's nature, there are also dozens of
online marketing techniques you can use to increase your clientele.
You're saying you have enough clients, can't handle anymore? Well,
first of all, in this case why don't you expend? And, second, are you
able to communicate with your clients as fast as you want?
Let's say you have 300 clients and you need to tell them quickly about
something urgent (for example, you change your schedule or you have an
emergency and can't take clients for a week, etc). How would you handle
this? Tell your secretary to call all 300 clients? How much time do you
think will it take for her to make these calls?
Well organized online business is structured in such a way that you
don't even have to think about this problem, it's taken care of
automatically.
What if your client have some urgent question on weekend and you're not
working on weekend? Too bad, you just lost your client, client went to
your competitor's website and found the answer in his database of
Frequently Asked Questions, and then automatically booked the
appointment with your competitor for the closest date available...
You got the idea. Your website, if it's created by professionals, gives
your clients the ability to communicate with you 24/7, even if you're
not around to personally answer their questions.
Hope you see by now that for small business not to have a website is not an option.
Who's left? Stay-at-home moms and dads? Let's summarize what we have so
far as benefits of online business: the most inexpensive way to start a
business, unlimited market for your products or services, automatic
streams of constantly growing income (otherwise known as passive
income), more time you're able to spend with your family and loved ones
as a result.... Geeez, I think for moms and dads the question - whether
to start online business as a source of supplemental income - must be a
really difficult one (I'm just a little ironical here).
So, what should you do if you still don't have a website? That's easy -
get up off your back bone and contact professional web designers!
