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What tools are a must when starting an online business ?
I want to start an online business, and I wanted to know the certain tools to make my life a little bit easier.
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5 answers
Updated
Ryan’s Answer
I have operated an online business of my own. Developing a website is a must and I utilized Shopify to make my website and purchased a cheap website domain for my website from GoDaddy. Getting a good domain is usually pretty easy and will only cost you maybe $10-20 a year depending on your domain name. You can also get professional emails from GoDaddy too using your domain (Evan@__(YourDomainName)__.com. These emails definitely help if you plan on getting in contact with different companies or suppliers.
Next for an online business, depending on what you are selling, you may want to connect with Amazon and start selling there. To do this there is usually a big process. Overall, you will need to set up a legal business to obtain a Tax ID Number (EIN). I have answered a question before that you can find on my profile on different types of businesses and how to set them up. Depending on your scale though, an unincorporated sole proprietorship business could be good for you. However, an LLC is not a bad route either. Then you will likely have to use this EIN to verify your business is real to purchase UPC barcodes from a verified seller to begin selling on Amazon.
Don't forget that even though the business is online it is very real and has a lot of obligations and fees to be done properly. Good luck!
Next for an online business, depending on what you are selling, you may want to connect with Amazon and start selling there. To do this there is usually a big process. Overall, you will need to set up a legal business to obtain a Tax ID Number (EIN). I have answered a question before that you can find on my profile on different types of businesses and how to set them up. Depending on your scale though, an unincorporated sole proprietorship business could be good for you. However, an LLC is not a bad route either. Then you will likely have to use this EIN to verify your business is real to purchase UPC barcodes from a verified seller to begin selling on Amazon.
Don't forget that even though the business is online it is very real and has a lot of obligations and fees to be done properly. Good luck!
Thanks for the advice.
Noah
Updated
Edward’s Answer
First and foremost, a good website of your own. You can write one with WIX or WordPress
Next, you need to subscribe to Facebook and other social media
Next, you need to investigate selling through Amazon, Etsy, and other online merchants
Next, you need to build inventory so you can respond to customers immediately.
Next, you need to subscribe to Facebook and other social media
Next, you need to investigate selling through Amazon, Etsy, and other online merchants
Next, you need to build inventory so you can respond to customers immediately.
Updated
Scott’s Answer
You’re best to use Shopify or another website like that… as it will simply the process for you, and save you money
And then you’ll want to learn some paid search and organic search from google, and Facebook marketing, and Influencer marketing on Instagram
There’s lot of free online lessons to learn about how to use them, either on google, Facebook themselves or YouTube videos.
Most of all you’ll need dedication and determination
And then you’ll want to learn some paid search and organic search from google, and Facebook marketing, and Influencer marketing on Instagram
There’s lot of free online lessons to learn about how to use them, either on google, Facebook themselves or YouTube videos.
Most of all you’ll need dedication and determination
Updated
STEPHANIE’s Answer
First step, obtain a Tax ID Number (EIN). It is not as complicated as it sounds. It is a SS# for your business. Go to www.irs.gov and walk through the steps.
Beyond that, it depends. I would recommend a simple website, and at least one social platform (where your target customers most likely hang out). Then start learning but watching and reading. I watch at least one youtube a day at the age of 53 to keep learning.
Good luck!
Beyond that, it depends. I would recommend a simple website, and at least one social platform (where your target customers most likely hang out). Then start learning but watching and reading. I watch at least one youtube a day at the age of 53 to keep learning.
Good luck!
This was super helpful, thank you!
Noah
Updated
Doug’s Answer
Besides what others have said. Tools that will make starting your online business easier are:
1.) A plan. Here are a couple of links to business plans:
• https://blog.shift4shop.com/how-to-write-a-business-plan
• https://www.shopify.com/blog/business-plan
2.) SWOT Analysis - You want to consider your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats relative to the competition. Once you have your plan and SWOT analysis, you'll have a map guiding your course. Then you execute on the steps in your plan one step at a time.
Other useful tools for online businesses.
• GSuite is useful. You have access to docs, spreadsheets, you can run your business emails through your gmail account.
• Many tools are available to keep you organized and provide direction to teams. We use Asana. It's a good project management tool. Otherwise, minimally, spreadsheets are your friend for keeping things organized and are highly versatile for use in many aspects of your business from inventory to content calendars, project details, etc.
• If you're marketing online and plan to do search engine optimization aHrefs is worth the price. Beyond keyword and content research, I can basically see everything competitors are doing to optimize their sites. With a little investigation, I can make accurate estimations of what content, keywords, and backlinks required to outrank them.
• If you're running paid ads, SEMRush is a good competitive intelligence tool. See what your competitors are doing and reverse engineer their campaigns.
People have already mentioned Shopify as a good solution for ecommerce. They have a wealth of support and resources, and it is in their interest to help ecommerce businesses succeed.
Wordpress with WooCommerce is another good ecommerce solution. Wordpress is a the most popular self hosted content management platform in the world, powering nearly half of all websites globally. WooCommerce is an ecommerce plugin.
If you're marketing a service based business using inbound marketing, Hubspot is an option worth checking out. It integrates with many applications and is setup to help businesses that rely on inbound marketing.
• Social media will likely be part of your marketing mix. It can be super time consuming managing multiple social media accounts individually. Social media management tools like HootSuite, Sprout Social, and Buffer allow you to access and post to all your social media accounts from a single dashboard which is a huge timesaver.
1.) A plan. Here are a couple of links to business plans:
• https://blog.shift4shop.com/how-to-write-a-business-plan
• https://www.shopify.com/blog/business-plan
2.) SWOT Analysis - You want to consider your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats relative to the competition. Once you have your plan and SWOT analysis, you'll have a map guiding your course. Then you execute on the steps in your plan one step at a time.
Other useful tools for online businesses.
• GSuite is useful. You have access to docs, spreadsheets, you can run your business emails through your gmail account.
• Many tools are available to keep you organized and provide direction to teams. We use Asana. It's a good project management tool. Otherwise, minimally, spreadsheets are your friend for keeping things organized and are highly versatile for use in many aspects of your business from inventory to content calendars, project details, etc.
• If you're marketing online and plan to do search engine optimization aHrefs is worth the price. Beyond keyword and content research, I can basically see everything competitors are doing to optimize their sites. With a little investigation, I can make accurate estimations of what content, keywords, and backlinks required to outrank them.
• If you're running paid ads, SEMRush is a good competitive intelligence tool. See what your competitors are doing and reverse engineer their campaigns.
People have already mentioned Shopify as a good solution for ecommerce. They have a wealth of support and resources, and it is in their interest to help ecommerce businesses succeed.
Wordpress with WooCommerce is another good ecommerce solution. Wordpress is a the most popular self hosted content management platform in the world, powering nearly half of all websites globally. WooCommerce is an ecommerce plugin.
If you're marketing a service based business using inbound marketing, Hubspot is an option worth checking out. It integrates with many applications and is setup to help businesses that rely on inbound marketing.
• Social media will likely be part of your marketing mix. It can be super time consuming managing multiple social media accounts individually. Social media management tools like HootSuite, Sprout Social, and Buffer allow you to access and post to all your social media accounts from a single dashboard which is a huge timesaver.