E-Business Beginnings

Start the Smart and Simple Way

by Charles Tang

Most likely, you're reading this e-business article because you have at least some kind of interest in doing business and making a living on the Internet. Whether you're looking for a full-time online ebusiness career or a part-time extra money endeavor, you're undoubtedly a bit nervous about putting your money where your dreams are.

There are quite a few legitimate ebusiness opportunities out there, but there are also some unscrupulous individuals around the Net who are bent on taking advantage of you and your dreams. Perhaps the only way to ensure that you're not being taken advantage of is to start your very own business, like an Internet store, rather than joining someone else's "opportunity."

Starting your own e-business can be nerve wracking. Those who decide to go it alone and set up their own store often never finish, due to the complications of shopping carts, design, credit card portholes, etc. However, there are some really good e-business services out there that can set you up with your very own Internet store, and they make it very easy.

A lot of people who would otherwise jump at the chance to have their own online retail outfit really hesitate to do so, because they're under the impression that you have to be a computer genius or web guru to set everything up. Well, thanks to ever- improving technology, the people who really ARE computer geniuses are making everything pretty easy for those of us who aren't.

For example, those who choose the DIY option (do-it-yourself) are faced with a total start-up time of approximately two months. On the flip side, the total start-up time with an e-business store setup service is about three hours.

Start-up costs for those who choose to set up their own Internet stores can range anywhere from about $800 to over $1100, depending on the type of e-business shopping cart solution you choose. Starting up with an Internet store set-up service can cost you less than $50, and most of them offer fully-integrated shopping carts that don't place strict limits on the number of products your customers can buy at one time.

Now, the look and feel of your e-commerce store has a great deal to do with your image, and whether or not people stick around long enough to buy. Unless you're a graphics and web design expert, you're likely to spend days or weeks just putting the visual elements of your site together, and even then you don't know what impression it will make on your customers.

Choosing a store set-up service ensures a professional-looking site, and you don't have to design it yourself. Most offer several different looks to choose from, and many will customize the look and feel for you at a slightly higher cost.

No matter how you decide to start your ebusiness, make sure that once your store is in place, you give the absolute best customer service possible. Making purchases online is uncertain enough for most consumers, and bad customer service will only make it harder for you to convince them to buy. Great service lends to your credibility and will really help people see you as dependable and trustworthy... two things that can make or break your Internet business.

Charles Tang is founder and President of InstanteStore.com, which makes it easy for anyone to set up their own Internet store e-business almost instantly. Choose from 60 different store templates, offer up to 2000 products, and get 10 email accounts. For more info or to sign up for a free 30-day trial visit Instant EStore.

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