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First steps

596 views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  Ember 
#1 ·
Please, please, please mamas, help me organize my thoughts a bit so I don't feel so overwhelmed trying to get something started. I'm completely clueless!

*First I must work on a website. I have very basic HTML knowledge (self taught) but it won't be sufficient for a merchant site. Is there a web building program I should be focusing on? I have Dreamweaver but never tackled it, would that be a good way to go? I'm pretty sure I could figure out the program if I applied myself.
*I will need a domain name which is one of the startup costs, correct?
*Do I need a business license?
*How do I figure out shipping costs and tax?
*How can I learn about handling CC payments?

I know I'll have a whole slew of questions once I get past these. Right now I can't even get past the very basics! I'm feeling very frustrated. I need to get past the dreaming stage once and for all!
 
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#2 ·
I use Dreamweaver, but I also am fluent in HTML. Either way, it certainly makes things a lot easier. If you can create your site the way you want it, and then just add the pages for the stuff you're selling, you could use Propay or Paypal to do your CC processing. Paypal even has a shopping cart and buy it now buttons you can easily place into your site.

You'll need a domain name and somewhere to host it. You can check out godaddy.com, it's very cheap, domains are 8.00 something or even LESS, and they have a hosting option that's only 3.95 a month. A great starter, IMO.

I'm pretty sure you need a business license, but this is something I'm just doing right now, too.. so, not sure.

Also, I'm pretty new around here, but been checking out the other web design WAHMs, and a lot of them have good prices if you want one of them to do your website for you.
http://wahmshoppes.com/ seems like an easy solution.
 
#3 ·
I use paypal for my shopping cart and cc payments.

Whether you'll need a business liscence depends on your town/city. For mine it was $35, I can't remember which type I got but it was the cheapest one I had. I explained to the lady what I was doing and she said it was this one.

I write my own html for now, learning as I go along.
 
#4 ·
Gee, I feel like my mother. Before starting any business, plan it to the end degree.

Here are some questions to answer (in no particular order):

Who is your ideal customer?
What does your ideal client do, look like, act like...
What ideas do you have to get customers?
How many customers do you think you'll get?
What type of business do you want?
How busy/not busy do you want to be?
Do you have an tremedous amount of determination?
How do you handle risk?
How do you handle stress/conflict/negotiating,etc..?
Can you weather highs and lows?
Can you write? Press releases, newsletters, promotions, copy, etc..
What is the competition?
What is your specialty/niche? How are you different?
What are your ideas for customer programs/service?
What is the vision? How do you see things ideally?
What are your weak spots, i.e. finance, writing, marketing, etc.? How can you overcome them? Who can help you? (No you don't have to do it all.)

Oh, there's so many questions and planning before getting to the details stage. Just sit down with a clear head and brainstorm. Forget the nitty gritty details till you figure out whether or not you really want to go into business. Don't worry about web-hosting, payment, etc. till you're sure. There are tons out there so that won't be a problem.

Then read and don't stop reading,

Good books:
22 Immutable Laws of Marketing
E-Myth
Think and Grow Rich (very sexist though)
Good to Great (might not be beginners book though)

Hope this helps. You certainly learn lots about yourself in business.
 
#5 ·
Well Congratulations on the beginning of something exciting... and exhausting!
Being a WAHM is a lot of work... trying to balance family time with biz time. It's vey worth it though!

To begin with, If you have the funds, you might try having someone buld your website for you. Stacey at Doodle Babies is great at nurturing you through the steps of getting started as well as building your site.
I use PayPal for cash and CC payments. It's just easie that way. Customers can mail a check if they aren't set up through PayPal.
As already mentioned, check with your local govt. about licensing. You will probably need a seller's permit... allows you to purchase supplis tax free, but you have to collect and remit sales tax.
The domain name is easy.... Go Daddy is cheap and usually offers sales. I thought the name was the hard part!!! LOL!
Shipping costs is really up to you... get a cheap scale and weigh up your products...price it out online with different carriers. You can also have USPS intergrated into your shopping cart... Stacey (or someone else) can help you with that.... you can also read about it online under usps web tools.
I HTH!
Good luck with your new venture!
 
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