Ready to Go Online Businesses: Worth the money?
The Internet is a great vehicle for spawning small businesses. You don’t need a truckload of venture capital, a dozen employees or expensive trappings.
It is not a myth…countless multi-million dollar online businesses were begun in apartments and houses. And, there is no shortage of people with 6 or 7 figure incomes who still work in an office that was once a spare bedroom.
But, I don’t know anyone who has bought a “ready to go” online business and enjoyed success. Ads touting ready to go internet businesses are now everywhere because of the money they make for the folks who sell them. Here’s why they are normally not a good deal for those who buy them.
1. You might buy an expensive product online from Macy’s, Sears or Dillards, but would you buy a TV, a piece of jewelry or a vacation package from a company you know nothing about? Neither would anyone else.
2. A ready made website can be online in less time than it takes to scramble eggs. But, that doesn’t mean anyone will see it that soon. That’s why the “earn $1,000 in your first week” pitch you hear in the TV ads is pure fantasy.
3. Not everything sells well online. Having a site which sells 20 items people are unlikely to buy online is no better than having a site with one item folks are not inclined to order from a website. Pay attention to the products or services you’ll have to sell to make money.
4. Remember that the ready made website you buy is identical to hundreds of others (or more). Not like others; identical to others. That means the website you purchase as part of a business opportunity package can never achieve good rankings in Google or Yahoo. Thus, you’d better have an alternative method of generating targeted traffic to your site.
5. The ads for online business opportunity packages assure us that anyone can strike it rich by applying their proven formulas. In an economy in which automobile manufacturers, banks, brokerage houses, and major retailers are losing millions, do you trust advertisers who ask you to believe that any business is bullet proof?
Yes, you can succeed online. But, there is no one-size-fits-all formula. For starters, you need a good product at a competitive price, and a well conceived marketing plan that will enable you to get the right message to your target market cost-effectively. Also necessary is an understanding that building a successful business requires time and effort.
Making money online is a very realistic alternative to a traditional nine to five job. But, you’ll need more than a cookie cutter website and a “proven formula”.
