new to business

[Rainee Bows]

Having spent Saturday evening in the company of a complete computer and internet novice i got a real insight into how many newcomers to online trading must feel when confronted with some of the information they find whilst surfing the web for help.

  Her eyes glazed over when the topic of our websites came up, and her reaction was akin to mine when my colleagues (the brainy ones) get into  a conversation about quantum theory ...... I have A-level physics and after 10 minutes of conversation terms used and reference points mentioned make me feel a bit thick to say the least.

This got me thinking on how newcomers feel when confronted with php files and html, even installing software on servers and making hosting accounts, buying a domain etc must feel like mountains they cant negotiate through a blizzard on one leg if they have no experience.


So I'm wondering how everyone approached their first venture into 'e-commerce' and online trading ....

I kind of fell into this whilst building an online store for my floristry business and very soon hit a very big learning curve, at the time i didnt have a clue what html was let alone be able to write it !!  I have always made graphics, used to make avatars for online gamers and chat sommunities as a hobby when i first was online and i knew what i wanted my site to look like and i went from there ........

How did you all start out and what would be your tips to newcomers, not necessarily to dropshipping as we all know this is just a supply chain link, but to the whole idea of running an online store, trading online and being knowledgable enough to make a real good go of it


Rain
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[teenymunchkins]

The very first website I set up was when I started childminding.  I have always been a keen typist but didn't know ANYTHING about computers, setting up sites etc.  I went with Mr Site at the time and after a lot of internet searching and playing about with stuff managed to set my site up.

I've always had the bug for making extra money and came across dropshipping (cant actually remember how I heard about it) and after searching for dropshipping came across another forum which I joined. 

I found a dropship company on there, joined them and bought one of their ready websites.  I learnt how to adapt this to suit my needs and found adding products pretty easy to do.  I trawled the zencart forum for answers to my questions and to make changes to my templates.  You can find so much information if you just look for it. I then branched away from the goods I was dropshipping from that particular supplier and started buying wholesale some toys and joined other dropshippers and added their products.

I decided in July 2008 to stop doing the dropshipping from the company I started out with but kept my hosting with them a while longer.  I got the domain name changed and Teeny Munchkins was born in August 2008.  Haven't looked back since really.

I have a pretty good brain and everything I have done is self-taught though I've had to rely on Paul to sort out my file manager as I had made a mess of it trying to install addons but couldn't quite do it properly.  Luckily my site has got me in a position where I could afford to pay Rain to redesign my site for me so hope it is now onwards and upwards 

Alison

[Rainee Bows]

i ended up with a hosted solution first off too, what amazed me on friday was how those of us that have experience take it for granted that other people new to the idea of building and running any kind of site take it for granted people will know what we are talking about

Food for thought when dealing with enquiries from new members i suppose .

Rain
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[no_sacrifice]

I suppose the advice i would give is to just get stuck in..

I think many people's fear is not knowing where to start and I would def recommend forums as the best starting place!

I have always had a interest in business and since graduating last year in tourism and business I didn't know where to start or what to do with myself so all the time spent online whilst jobless (mainly on facebook lol) I came across forums about small businesses and from there I found info on websites/dropshipping and all things ecommerce and decided it was a route I was interested in. I started my first site saucysupermarket doing dropshipping but soon realised It wasn't really for me and I'd have more enthusiasm if I was actually working with products i choose buy wholesale an have an interest in them iynwim. So I'm now working with wholesale jewellery and love it. They key is to realise rome wasn't built in a day and just keep at my seo and marketing which I hope I will get better at with reading more info/advice etc

I think I'm quite lucky as I know my way around the internet as we was probably one of the first out of my friends 10 years or more ago at school that had the net at home so it's not so 'alien' to me. Ecommerce/html etc is still a alien to me but I am learning as i go along and that learning is just from forums and asking questions over the past couple of months. Sooo much advice/threads that you can learn so much from I think the biggest task is starting and knowing where to start.. 

[dougdesigns]

Hi all,

I was very much the same. I started looking on forums, and I brought my first store from the dropship supplier, I tried to customise it and found it very hard to do this. I then broke away from the site supplied from the dropshipper and went to CubeCart. I know that you have to pay for most mods for it. But its very easy to use. I have finally got to grips with it.

I have now found my niche and also getting there with my store. I am aiming to launch in April 2010.


If I had to start again, it would be a real mission as there is so much information out there and so many people that want to help you never know where to turn to.

Stick with it and research and research again is my advice to new commers.

[wringle]

Suppose I was working and was paid $50,000 a year.
Now, I decided to open a new business and earn no economic profit, right? But as you know, economic profit already includes my opportunity cost, which is $50,000. So, here I can conclude that I'm earning that $50,000 in a new business too...
My question is "What is the point of opening a new business?".
Thanx

[donthidethem]

Suppose I was working and was paid $50,000 a year.
Now, I decided to open a new business and earn no economic profit, right? But as you know, economic profit already includes my opportunity cost, which is $50,000. So, here I can conclude that I'm earning that $50,000 in a new business too...
My question is "What is the point of opening a new business?".
Thanx

Everyone has there own reason for running a online business, from being your own boss to earning more money, just to the plain enjoyment of what they are doing. You have to have your own reason for starting a online business. If its not good reason to yourself then you are doomed to fail. You have not got a reason then why do anything in life!

[stevread1]

Was browsing thru EBay looking for a way a cheap buisness to buy. Saw a website for sale selling beauty products thought hey i could do that cool me own shop online. Bid and won started off reselling stuff brought of ebay. Then just learnt the rest from  researching and forums on the net.

[Alex Rosicky]

you can use free e-commerce widget like "ecwid", it is very usefull for a newbie, if you don't anything about cms, php and etc. also if you want to check your online sales and revenue try demo account at http://www.dotcommerce.co.uk/

[donthidethem]

Was browsing thru EBay looking for a way a cheap buisness to buy. Saw a website for sale selling beauty products thought hey i could do that cool me own shop online. Bid and won started off reselling stuff brought of ebay. Then just learnt the rest from  researching and forums on the net.

I did something similar but I brought a website/business from the dropshipper I was working with.

[imanni]

Hi guys , very nice to meet you all here , well i am working as internet marketer for FC curtains company .

This is new business for Curtains .

Just login to

http://www.drawthecurtains.com