Do-It-Yourself
“Build it
and they will come.”
This is one of the reasons
for the dot-com bubble burst. A common mistake
for most new companies and entrepreneurs
is that they think if they “build” a good
product, traffic will arrive.
These Internet newcomers are
continuously wasting money by
putting up web pages, thinking that people will
visit any web site if the product
or services are “worth it.” They
falsely believe that merely
having their own site is enough
to keep their traffic soaring
and cash register ringing.
In order to have a popular
site, traffic needs to be generated
using specific marketing methods.
A good web site offers not only
guaranteed traffic from known
campaigns and a good product
or service, which is unique
and has high quality content,
but also, interactivity, fun,
and “freebies.”
This way, you will guarantee
that a user not only visits
your site once, but keeps coming
back to your original content
and product offerings they
can use and make money from.
“Anybody
can get rich on the Internet”
Of course, this urban legend
has brought many to believe it doesn't
matter what you are selling.
Of course it does! Despite all
the tactics outlined in this
book, it is important that your
product or service be genuinely
good and have a market.
The Internet is a business
medium. Like any other business,
the basic business principles
still apply.
“Give
it for free and they will come”
Entrepreneurs oftentimes
think that having some freebies
on their site is enough to entice
people to visit and, more importantly,
buy their products or services.
It is not always a guarantee
that people will indeed come
to get the freebie on your site.
This legend is dangerous in
that it leads many businesses
to “eyeball” models that don’t
necessarily generate money,
Common mistakes
in opening an Internet
company
Opening a business with a
product or a service that has
no market or no demand
Although you need to enjoy
what you do, and success comes
more easily if you do what you
love, you need to examine the
market potential, competition,
resources required to enter
the market, and uniqueness of
the idea. It will be useless
to invest time, effort, and money
in a product or a service that
has no chance at all. You need
to consider the potential demand
of your market. Turning your
hobby or interest into a small
business, for example, without
first finding out if there is
sufficient demand for the product
or service is a sure way to
fail.
Like you are sure to find
out in later chapters, determining
the potential demand and size
of the market for your product
is the first factor in choosing
a business.
If you don’t ask for help
and do not learn from others, your
business has a lower chance
of survival. Most people do
not usually ask for advice in
choosing a business, either
because they are too proud,
afraid someone else will steal
their idea, or simply don't
know help is available. Extensive
research proves that people
that don’t ask for help and
that are afraid to learn from
others miss out on a great
deal business opportunities.
Opening a
business without knowing your
market and “doing your homework”
In other words: Starting
the business without adequate
planning. As you are sure to
find out in the next chapters,
to generate money from the Internet,
you need to plan every step,
every action, and every little
decision that you make. Marketing
is a difficult task and should
be approached carefully. Your
success is not guaranteed because
you have found a market opportunity
that takes advantage of your
skills and experience. Many
home business owners are guilty
of taking the process of business
planning for granted. A well-written
business plan provides the strategy
map of your business. Following
a good, distinctive strategy
will ensure that the business
follows a consistent direction
toward your goals. One of the
ways to plan your business is
to study and plan based on others'
experiences.
 The
Internet is constantly changing
--
what was good in the past is
not necessary will be good today;
you must always re-invent yourself.
For
further information on How to Do-It-Yourself:
the Right Product
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