Starting An Internet Business – We Make it Simple

To start you need to find out the types of business models the Internet has to offer. This makes life a lot easier when starting an Internet business. This is one of the most under discussed topics when it comes to this business. If you hate what your doing why do it? At the very least try to find the right fit. You buy shoes that fit, you buy pants that fit, so why shouldn’t you take time to find out what area of this business would be the best fit for YOU.

Different Types of Business Models Used on the Internet

To get a good picture of what were getting at lets use a spoked wheel. The Internet itself is the hub, the place where the spokes connect to. The spokes are the different income streams or more commonly ways to make money. You need to look at the different income streams and see which one(s) might you best fit.

The Guru’s will present you with a variety of business models, some advertised to make easy cash and many other variations to start a business. How do you wade through all this stuff?

When starting out it’s best to stick with the simpler types of businesses and learn how to do it right. Seasoned Internet marketeers have graduated to more sophisticated business models and they have the staff to support it, chances are you don’t. So their model won’t fit your needs when starting.

Don’t confuse types of businesses with basic fundamentals. Basic fundamentals are the platforms of which all Internet business types work from. Basic fundamentals would be a website, work ethic, content, these things that pertain to all business types.

Business types would be wholesale, retail, affiliate marketing, passive income, etc..

When we say types of business models we mean the different ways to make money. Lets start by listing the simple models and then move up.

Affiliate Marketing – the most common type of Internet business around. You market and sell someone elses product. There are various ways to market your product both on and offline.
Passive (or niche sites) – sites designed to market advertising and/or products that require little to no maintenance. These sites can be focused on small subjects or some are built to be big multi-subject sites . The main intention here is build, promote and forget.
Information Sites (mini sites) - this could fall into the category of passive. These sites are built for advertising, they target a narrow subject and are intended to make money primarily from advertising. Once set up and promoted they only require occasional maintenance.

Lets clarify something, when I say sites I’m mostly referring to a blog. The blogs like blogger and wordpress have features that make it look and act, to a degree, like a real website. If your considering opening an Internet store then you need checkout features,  a way for the customer to pay, a website with a lot of moving parts would be required. It might be good to reread starting an internet business so you know the purpose of this site.

For the most part 90% of the people venturing into the Internet field will find a blog just fine to start.

Next, we have more Internet business models that are a bit more advanced than the previous ones.

Product Creator – make your own product be it an ebook, or CD class, or DVD tutorial, whatever you think there is a market for. Similar to affiliate marketing except your selling your own product.
Email Marketing – better know as List Building. This is the most highly rated way to make money from the Internet. Email marketing is highly effective for building targeted traffic and building relationships with customers.
Services – if you provide a service such as a weight loss program, quit smoking plan or a self-help series and you want more customer interaction then this type of Internet business is a good fit for you.
Turnkey – no I didn’t say a site for Turkeys. This is a type of business where you buy an existing website along with the platform and customer base. From there you just need to promote it and update as needed.

The next type of Internet business models are a little more complicated, they might require a little higher investment and some training.

Retail – the online version of a retail store like Walmart or smaller, but without all the overhead. You still have to deal with shipping products, customer service, payment processing, etc. – see Get everything you need to start you own Web store – FREE. ProStores – an eBay Company – I have used them before. They have good customer service, an inexpensive way to start if retail is your choice.
Wholesale – similar to retail only working with higher volumes and more commercial accounts.
Site Flipping – you either make a website from scratch or you buy an existing site, fix it up and sell it for a profit. (For more in depth detail go to $250.00 site flip, Michelle Adams has more expertise in this field)

The last two on the list I would say requires building up to and is not a business model that someone starting an Internet business would generally do, but at least you’ll know what they are.

Membership Sites – a source of recurring monthly income, requires a moderate amount of attention for both site updates and member needs.
Authority Sites – these are sites with the intention of dominating a certain subject in a big market. This could be in the area of “How To Make Money” or “Fighting Cancer” the owner of these sites know it can take years to even break the top twenty in the search engines.

Why Did I Choose Passive Income For My Internet Business?

The truth is I didn’t, at least not at first I didn’t. I tried a few of the above ways which were pitched by Guru’s. Yes in the beginning I was like everyone else, I went for the easy money thing. It wasn’t till about 3 months later that I realized these programs didn’t work for me, how did I know, I didn’t make any money.

This doesn’t mean they won’t work, it just means they weren’t right for me. What did fit for me was passive income, I like the idea of putting in the work upfront and then moving on to the next site. It’s similar to buying an apartment, fixing it up and then collecting the rents.

You will be much more successful if you and the type of Internet business you start mesh. If your the interactive type a retail store might be a good fit, if your a detailed writer maybe writing Ebooks and using affiliates to sell them might be the fit for you. The key here is – investigate, start, and if you find your first choice isn’t a good fit let it go, try your next choice. Consider the experience an education, don’t get stubborn, at least in the beginning, find the right fit so you can enjoy the building process.

I see the words Easy and Quick used everywhere, the problem is it may be easy or quick for the experienced Internet business owner, but how about someone just starting?

Deciding Which is the Right Internet Business For You

If you’ve read this far I at least have planted a seed, I got you thinking. If a certain business model catches your eye and it’s not a hyped quick and easy ad, then I believe your on the right track. Why? because that particular business model idea sparked something that appeals to you.

I believe starting your Internet business with an income stream that excites you, one that interests you will give you a much higher success rate. Reason being as your business grows you will run into bumps, maybe even walls and your passion in the pursuit of success will view these walls as challenges not headaches. This is when you know you’ve chosen the right internet business.

Some people are very good and comfortable making videos, they can market themselves effectively using this method. Others have a great voice and use audio to get their message out. You might be like me, drawn to passive income streams. Once you get in the door, once you taste some success, then other income streams don’t need to excite you because you now know the business. By this time you have other motivating factors that will guide you into different income streams and you won’t fear trying new things.

If your new to the business side of the Internet take a closer look at sites for adsense, affiliate marketing and list building. See which one of these businesses fits you best, these are the easiest to get stared with and learn. They may not be the right Internet business for you in the long run, but as starters there the best to choose from.

So, take a little more time before you actually start building your business. Will you make mistakes? If your human you will, and don’t forget with risk comes mistakes learn, improve, and keep trying, this is the mindset of the Internet Entrepreneur.

I’ll leave you with this, after a few weeks of working on a particular business plan if you can’t wait to get home and start working on it, you find that you don’t want to leave it, then you have found the Internet business that is right for You.

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Be cautious of Internet addiction, some people get consumed and burned out if they catch the bug, enthusiasm is good but burning out doesn’t benefit anyone.

OK, lets move on to Tools Needed for your business.