Starting an online business? Watch out!

The Dunia Internet blog shared a great article about the pitfalls to watch when starting an online business.

His points out:

  1. Don’t start a business teaching how to make money online … Unless you are currently making millions online using innovative techniques …
  2. Choose non-Internet related niches … The markets that have untapped potential are those were the existing offline successful businesses…
  3. Don’t focus on making money … Making money is not a skill – it’s an outcome as a result of a skill…
  4. Don’t enter a tiny market … There is nothing worse than fighting with competitors for the small handful of customers available…
  5. Watch out for tiny margins … Watch out for is basing a business on a margin that is tight or misunderstood…
  6. Look for leverage points … You won’t be successful on any grand scale without leverage because your output will be limited to how much you can do yourself….
  7. Avoid self-employment thinking … If you can’t automate, outsource, or hire people to do these roles…
  8. Be aware of your own limitations … make sure you know what your talents are…

I think it is a great list!

Which do you agree with and which do you not? Are you guilty of #1? Too many startup Internet marketers try to sell “make money online” kind of products. Chances that unless you have someone else who is already established to back you up, you’re gonna take a loooooong time (and a lot of money) to get started.

The stuff all those gurus teach are excellent, but you gotta bring it back to your industry.

That said, its also sad to say many Internet marketing related industries are spoilt – like blogging! As Ted shares earlier, MSM seems to get the whole idea of corporate blogging wrong, and well, thanks to “make money blogging” Internet marketers.

Business blogging was never about making 10 cents off every visitor through Adsense (even though it is no harm putting a few ads to earn back your web hosting fees – like I do with this blog). It is about building a brand, and building credibility. Business blogs are used to support a business in terms of creating product awareness, public relations, customer service, brand management, crisis management and lead generation (and a lot more), not just a platform for advertising revenue.

Comments

  1. Good points and agree with them. I guess this is why I ain’t blogging to save my life yet and am keeping my fulltime job for now. 😉

  2. Hey Walter, you are doing a great job maintaining that blog after work. Its tough to just let go of a job, especially when you already have a family to take care of!

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  4. Hi kian ann,i hv jus view some of ur ads(earn money at home) and i am thinking to myself if making $ at home is so easy,then no one would wana work out there anymore.Could u pls giv me some guidance on whether is there such a gd deal in this world,because its jus unbelievable.

    Yours sincerly
    Will

  5. Hey Will,

    I’ll just say that the learning curve for Internet marketing is not as simple as it sounds. Many of the marketers are literally “marketers”, and sell dreams and hope.

    How many percent of people actually achieve their success? I don’t know, but I know its not high. 🙂

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  7. The markets that have untapped potential are existing off line successful businesses es.I ll just say that the learning curve for Internet marketing is not as simple.