The Internet, for us, is an absolute dream come true.
As my wife Anne and myself are disabled it meant relying on the Government to provide us with state handouts. This not only left us physically disabled and on a very low income, but severely restricted any chance of being able to secure a steady real-world job.
If fact we had not been able to earn any money for over 10 years. Being stuck in this position, what could we do?
I heard so much about the Internet that I just HAD to try it out... maybe it could provide the answer I was looking for? but I found so much marketing hype that I just wasn't sure... How could I start trading online? What could I sell?
Then it hit me.
I Was In The Perfect Position To Turn Anne's Hobby Into A Proven Internet Money Spinner.... Here's How:
Anne had always liked collecting thimbles and with the Internet revolution, maybe I could find people of similar interests who would purchase our findings.
With the help of my family, friends and a few online sites, I developed my own Internet storefront, which soon became one of the UK's most popular and widely used collectable products websites. Here's how I did it:
1) I started with PASSION. Being disabled meant that this was my one real chance of ploughing FULL energy into a project... I chose something that was based on a hobby, ensuring I kept 100% motivated at all times.
2) I knew I had to put together a collection of products that people would purchase. I had to find something that I could see a market for... virtually anything can be sold online, but it had to be a market I KNEW or at least could easily research into... I knew the "thimble" market inside out, I also knew I could quickly learn about plates, bells, mugs and other collectables, so my sights were set.
3) Now came my Internet presence... forget free sites or unprofessional web space. I got my own domain, hooked up to a credit card processor and set-up an online shopping cart system to handle all orders. It needn't cost the earth... for less than one hundred dollars, our Internet presence was ready to go live.
Here's my checklist for starting an online store:
* The right products... do you know the market? If not, can you easily associate and learn about the market?
* Grab your domain name today. You can register them for as little as $6 per year from names@blacktop.org. Then hook it up to a professional web host (for as little as $10 per month).
* Set-up your payment options. Credit cards are essential if you are selling down-loadable products or services and you could use WorldPay.com, Multicards.com, iBill.com or any of the other available services. We now use WorldPay, but if you like us sell physical products you can start out with just cheques and money orders. If fact over 60% of our customers place their orders online but still send their payment by post.
* Most credit card processors give you instructions on using shopping cart software with their processing service. Set-up this link and include all products on sale into the cart system... ensuring that all customers can easily order.
* Get your site designed. Our own page is fairly simple but continues to sell really well. If you need to hire a designer, Respond.com can help you find your perfect low-cost worker. OR if you will be selling any collectables and wish to join The Collectable Shopping Center I will design your site for FREE.
Customer service is the key to repeat visitors. Make sure you include full ordering and contact information on your site. Include privacy policies and return/refund procedures too, so that your customers know they're in good hands.
I can even provide you with all the tools you require to set-up an online store. My URL is http://www.collectableshops.com
I started with the dream... the dream to turn a hobby into a sure-fire seller. We now earn a living, have thousands of loyal customers/friends around the world and ALL this has been achieved through our online store.
The dream is not only applicable to disabled people, but also to people who are in a dead-end job or need extra money. It can be done part time as I can only work 1 to 2 hours a day for health reasons. The possibilities are unlimited!
It has taken me over twelve months and three websites to learn from my mistakes, you can still visit my 2nd site at http://www.thimbles.org and see how hard it was to use. Having said it is hard to use, it still makes a profit. YOU CAN now learn from my mistakes for FREE, all you have to do is ask.
So now it's time for YOU to decide, are you just going to sit and dream, or are you going to take ACTION?
Mike Blacktop is an Internet marketer who spends his working life dedicated to practicing what he preaches on marketing on the Internet. See the fruits of his creations and his tactics at his online gift shop, at http://www.collectableshops.com
| Ping An Debilitated By Fortis Stake The Chinese insurer will write off $2.3 billion in the third quarter on its 5% holding in the failed Belgian-Dutch firm, revealing that the impairment would have material impact on earnings. Author : Vivan Wai-yin Kwok Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 11:57:00 GMT South Korea Is Looking Like East Asia's Weakest Link The country's financial system has functioned much more on credit than its neighbors, and now the global credit crisis has made borrowing from abroad far more expensive. Author : Tina Wang Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:22:00 GMT Wall Street Prepares For Earnings Data Next week, investors will shift their focus from Capitol Hill to corporate profits. Author : Carl Gutierrez Publ.Date : Sun, 05 Oct 2008 16:00:00 GMT Europe's Governments Do It Their Way As their banks teeter, Britain, Spain and Iceland look at individual solutions as Germany and Belgium go it alone. Author : Lionel Laurent and Tina Wang Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:15:00 GMT Europe Redoubles Efforts To Restore Confidence Germany arranges bailout of Hypo; Belgium, Luxembourg sell control of Fortis units to BNP Paribas. Author : Tina Wang Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 03:55:00 GMT Euro Banks Still Leery Money markets refuse to loosen up as European governments race to shore up faltering banks without concrete plans. Author : Parmy Olson Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:01:18 GMT |