Small Business On The World Wide Web
| Category: Net Business Start ups | Date: 2003-10-28 |
I have run the WWW Small Business Mall for three years, and continue to help people start their web experience by having a single page. Mall participants usually start off with a single page, then work up to a multi-page site, and sooner or later their own domain. That is my speciality.
But when one leaves the security of a mall setting and sets up shop in their own little corner of the neighborhood, a strange phenomena happens. Suddenly - no visitors. Why? Well, if your own domain is specifically an advertisement for your business, why would anyone visit?? At the mall people are attracted by one of the business tools or entertainment-related sites we have that the mall sponsors. So, what to do? Simply sponsor a site that people will want to visit! What follows is a letter of someone who is ready to spread into his own little corner with his own domain, and my response to his questions. I hope this will put a few sparks in your thinking cap.
>I am "brand spankin new " at this stuff.
Everyone has to start somewhere. But you have tools already in place that most people dont have - intelligence, the willingness to ask questions, and the desire to investigate things. You are in a good position to succeed at whichever endeavor you decide to fully support.
> I am disabled. Though fully functional (more or less) I am unemployable. Dont get me wrong, the Good Lord has taken good care of us and we make a decent living and have our own home and all you could really ask for as far as necessities. But! I want more than just that. I have the skills the education and the personal presence/communication skills to do more so that is why I got involved with this stuff.
Well, as you probably know, home-based business keeps no person down. We are all equal. The only differences I have found on-line is the ability to effectively communicate.
For some it comes natural - but I believe everyone can learn it.
For me, all one needs to effectively communicate is a good sense of who they are, and a moral base firmly established with honesty. Those burdened with the effects of dishonesty have to depend on hyperbole to try to generate success.
The good news is most honest people seldom fall for companies or distributors that are based on hype. Youll recognize them simply stay away from them.
What I am trying to say, in my verbose manner, is you are aware of your disability, and are not letting it keep you from experiencing life. You are another many steps ahead of most people Ive met. Most people are crippled by their own dishonesty or personal greed. So much so that they cant see it. We all have a level of greed in us - built in. Knowing it helps us to temper our lives.
>I just tonight finally visited your site the money tree. WOW! I was impressed.
Thanks!
> You certainly are not going about this (pardon the expression) half-assed. You have a definite structure and a real sense of what your audience needs.
It kinda helps that Ive been publishing Money Tree since 1969. My goal has always been to help every person establish a home-based business of one sort or another. Even if its part time! I believe the best ways to add to the economy in dynamic terms is for each individual to know what business is all about, and part of that education should come from getting ones feet wet. I took over the $ tree from an elderly gentleman who ran it from the early 1920s to 1969. The magazine has a heritage of trying to keep up with different things to help people succeed.
>(If you cannot tell I detest spamming).
Good. And remember that! Actually, weve been extremely fortunate in that the effects of spamming have resulted in very very few sales - despite the "hype". So, folks who try it usually find out. The big problem is theres always another guy who hasnt tried it, and falls for the hype. Youll notice the software companies that sell the programs to extract e-mail addresses work on peoples inner greed as an ad technique. That in and of itself should tell folks the truth. But thats the funny thing about our greed, we want to believe the most horrible lies.
>I want to eventually make major focus of my website Money making opportunities,
I would advise a bit different tack; BUT, if that is your main area of expertise, then - GO FOR IT! I usually recommend folks have Business Opportunities as the secondary focus. Build something UNIQUE first. I asked a guy today what his main interest in life was. His current pages are all advertisements, and he was complaining that no one visits. Well, it turned out - his main non-business interest is survival skills. "Well, look - you know a lot about survival skills - put up 20 pages about survival. ONE of those pages can be economic survival skills, where you can talk about home based business." He fell over in joy! A simple hint. How do you get folks to visit? Give them a reason!!!! For you - heres a simple hint. Id bet you know a lot about your particular disability. Put up a whole bunch of pages about that disability. One of those pages can talk about how people with that disability can work from home. Youll be visited by nurses, doctors, others with disabilities. Youll have true, human stories that people will want to read. Weekly medical updates - to encourage people to come back. Your pages will not be "another place with a bunch of ads". The ads will be secondary - and disguised more or less as not really being ads - but tools! "Here is a simple business I run from my home - its one any person can start..." If that is simply one of a dozen or twenty pages, people will love you. If all you have is money making opportunities, trust me - theres already thousands of people with sites like that. All flailing around wondering why no one wants to visit their site.
>in fact I would love to link your Money Tree site to mine if you would allow it.
Id love it - feel free!
> I also would not mind making a little money along the way if I can.
Provide a service people can use - the money will come, trust me. It may or may not be in ways you are thinking of right now. BUT - it will come. For example - if you have a full-service site about a specific disability (I may sound like Im harping on that - its only one idea. It could also be knitting, or WHATEVER your interest is) - it will not take long for people to notice something "UNIQUE". Your site will be mentioned in many magazines. Our sites have been mentioned in INC, Yahoo, Newsweek, US News & World Report, and many other places. So - thats key - be unique & provide LOTS of information. That process generates lots of traffic to your site.
Once you have 40,000 people visiting your site month-in, month-out - you have specific reason to sell ad space to those who will be of assistance to your audience. If its disability based, for example, you can sell ad space to pharmecuetical companies, wheelchair companies, etc, etc. If its a site about knitting, there are craft stores, etc. Thats a source of income for doing something you love. At the same time you will be building a downline a side company or two so you will have residual income coming in. And, don right, these folks who are your customers share a common bond with you.
Well, this has turned into a book. Dont be surprised if I steal some of it for an article or two =:-)
-Rich
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A follow-up I loved receiving:
Rich, you have opened my eyes to something that has been on my heart for about 6 years, the desire to help others with cancer or leukemia empower themselves with knowledge. I had never thought of it but I have a lot of information about living with a disability, surviving leukemia and having a bone - marrow transplant. I think I just found the theme for my new site. And not with intention of exploiting anyone. If I can incorporate how to empower yourself financially in spite of your physical limitations into the site then all the better. I AM GOING TO DO IT! Right here, right now! Well I better whoa the horses a little , I am gonna start developing it with the help of some medical staff etc. But you wait! It will be the site "my mother would be proud of"! Thanks Rich and God Bless! Ben
Isaiah 41:10 "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am YOUR God I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."
About the author
Rich Soos is editor of The Electronic Money Tree, and the owner of the WWW Small Business Mall. He also has a literary, an entertainment, and a religious site that keeps people from all over the world visiting the mall.
soos@soos.com
http://www.soos.com
But when one leaves the security of a mall setting and sets up shop in their own little corner of the neighborhood, a strange phenomena happens. Suddenly - no visitors. Why? Well, if your own domain is specifically an advertisement for your business, why would anyone visit?? At the mall people are attracted by one of the business tools or entertainment-related sites we have that the mall sponsors. So, what to do? Simply sponsor a site that people will want to visit! What follows is a letter of someone who is ready to spread into his own little corner with his own domain, and my response to his questions. I hope this will put a few sparks in your thinking cap.
>I am "brand spankin new " at this stuff.
Everyone has to start somewhere. But you have tools already in place that most people dont have - intelligence, the willingness to ask questions, and the desire to investigate things. You are in a good position to succeed at whichever endeavor you decide to fully support.
> I am disabled. Though fully functional (more or less) I am unemployable. Dont get me wrong, the Good Lord has taken good care of us and we make a decent living and have our own home and all you could really ask for as far as necessities. But! I want more than just that. I have the skills the education and the personal presence/communication skills to do more so that is why I got involved with this stuff.
Well, as you probably know, home-based business keeps no person down. We are all equal. The only differences I have found on-line is the ability to effectively communicate.
For some it comes natural - but I believe everyone can learn it.
For me, all one needs to effectively communicate is a good sense of who they are, and a moral base firmly established with honesty. Those burdened with the effects of dishonesty have to depend on hyperbole to try to generate success.
The good news is most honest people seldom fall for companies or distributors that are based on hype. Youll recognize them simply stay away from them.
What I am trying to say, in my verbose manner, is you are aware of your disability, and are not letting it keep you from experiencing life. You are another many steps ahead of most people Ive met. Most people are crippled by their own dishonesty or personal greed. So much so that they cant see it. We all have a level of greed in us - built in. Knowing it helps us to temper our lives.
>I just tonight finally visited your site the money tree. WOW! I was impressed.
Thanks!
> You certainly are not going about this (pardon the expression) half-assed. You have a definite structure and a real sense of what your audience needs.
It kinda helps that Ive been publishing Money Tree since 1969. My goal has always been to help every person establish a home-based business of one sort or another. Even if its part time! I believe the best ways to add to the economy in dynamic terms is for each individual to know what business is all about, and part of that education should come from getting ones feet wet. I took over the $ tree from an elderly gentleman who ran it from the early 1920s to 1969. The magazine has a heritage of trying to keep up with different things to help people succeed.
>(If you cannot tell I detest spamming).
Good. And remember that! Actually, weve been extremely fortunate in that the effects of spamming have resulted in very very few sales - despite the "hype". So, folks who try it usually find out. The big problem is theres always another guy who hasnt tried it, and falls for the hype. Youll notice the software companies that sell the programs to extract e-mail addresses work on peoples inner greed as an ad technique. That in and of itself should tell folks the truth. But thats the funny thing about our greed, we want to believe the most horrible lies.
>I want to eventually make major focus of my website Money making opportunities,
I would advise a bit different tack; BUT, if that is your main area of expertise, then - GO FOR IT! I usually recommend folks have Business Opportunities as the secondary focus. Build something UNIQUE first. I asked a guy today what his main interest in life was. His current pages are all advertisements, and he was complaining that no one visits. Well, it turned out - his main non-business interest is survival skills. "Well, look - you know a lot about survival skills - put up 20 pages about survival. ONE of those pages can be economic survival skills, where you can talk about home based business." He fell over in joy! A simple hint. How do you get folks to visit? Give them a reason!!!! For you - heres a simple hint. Id bet you know a lot about your particular disability. Put up a whole bunch of pages about that disability. One of those pages can talk about how people with that disability can work from home. Youll be visited by nurses, doctors, others with disabilities. Youll have true, human stories that people will want to read. Weekly medical updates - to encourage people to come back. Your pages will not be "another place with a bunch of ads". The ads will be secondary - and disguised more or less as not really being ads - but tools! "Here is a simple business I run from my home - its one any person can start..." If that is simply one of a dozen or twenty pages, people will love you. If all you have is money making opportunities, trust me - theres already thousands of people with sites like that. All flailing around wondering why no one wants to visit their site.
>in fact I would love to link your Money Tree site to mine if you would allow it.
Id love it - feel free!
> I also would not mind making a little money along the way if I can.
Provide a service people can use - the money will come, trust me. It may or may not be in ways you are thinking of right now. BUT - it will come. For example - if you have a full-service site about a specific disability (I may sound like Im harping on that - its only one idea. It could also be knitting, or WHATEVER your interest is) - it will not take long for people to notice something "UNIQUE". Your site will be mentioned in many magazines. Our sites have been mentioned in INC, Yahoo, Newsweek, US News & World Report, and many other places. So - thats key - be unique & provide LOTS of information. That process generates lots of traffic to your site.
Once you have 40,000 people visiting your site month-in, month-out - you have specific reason to sell ad space to those who will be of assistance to your audience. If its disability based, for example, you can sell ad space to pharmecuetical companies, wheelchair companies, etc, etc. If its a site about knitting, there are craft stores, etc. Thats a source of income for doing something you love. At the same time you will be building a downline a side company or two so you will have residual income coming in. And, don right, these folks who are your customers share a common bond with you.
Well, this has turned into a book. Dont be surprised if I steal some of it for an article or two =:-)
-Rich
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A follow-up I loved receiving:
Rich, you have opened my eyes to something that has been on my heart for about 6 years, the desire to help others with cancer or leukemia empower themselves with knowledge. I had never thought of it but I have a lot of information about living with a disability, surviving leukemia and having a bone - marrow transplant. I think I just found the theme for my new site. And not with intention of exploiting anyone. If I can incorporate how to empower yourself financially in spite of your physical limitations into the site then all the better. I AM GOING TO DO IT! Right here, right now! Well I better whoa the horses a little , I am gonna start developing it with the help of some medical staff etc. But you wait! It will be the site "my mother would be proud of"! Thanks Rich and God Bless! Ben
Isaiah 41:10 "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am YOUR God I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."
About the author
Rich Soos is editor of The Electronic Money Tree, and the owner of the WWW Small Business Mall. He also has a literary, an entertainment, and a religious site that keeps people from all over the world visiting the mall.
soos@soos.com
http://www.soos.com
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