|
Starting an online invitation business
I design invitations. I want to start an online invitation business. What do I need to do so people can place internet and/or phone orders to purchase my invitations? Do I need to get a distributor or manufacturer?
Asked by Cassandra
Posted: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 | Found in Starting Up
|
|
|
What you do has to match your strategy, and that's a matter of your strengths and weaknesses, resources and long-term goals--mixed, of course, with the reality of what your customers will want and pay for.
At one end of the scale, you could put up a website in a day and sell invitations the next day, and all you'd need is somebody who would find your website and want to pay you money for your invitations. You can do that tomorrow for a few dollars and a few hours ... and, of course you'll get very few, if any, buyers.
At the other end of the scale, you'd need not just a website but a complete marketing strategy to generate traffic on that website, deliver a message, convert browsers to buyers, take credit cards and produce and ship your invitations in volume sufficient to meet demand.
At the high end, a competitive website is a big deal, and search engine implementation, buying adwords and such is a big deal. Generating the processes to produce invitations well and quickly and in sufficient volume is also a big deal. Being able to take credit cards is a legal hurdle and a technological hurdle. Building the website is a technological hurdle and a marketing-sales hurdle, taking expertise, time and money.
This is why people suggest developing a plan. In the end, you look to answer the main questions yourself, based on your specific situation. It doesn't have to be a full formal business plan document, like you would turn over to an investor or a bank; but you do have to investigate the loose ends and make some real decisions.
Tim
Tim Berry is the president of Palo Alto Software Inc., which produces the industry's leading business planning software, Business Plan Pro, as well as other popular planning applications for businesses.
|
More Questions from Starting Up
 Recent Articles & Resources
Insight from Business Experts
Can You Be ‘Counter-Cycle?’
Running a small business is a tough living. There is no reliable paycheck, no one pays your benefits, and the buck always stops with you. Not only are the rewards uncertain, but the work is challenging. A few people must fill all the same functions as large businesses: planning, sales, product, finance/accounting, ...
Turning Your Business Dreams Into Reality: Managing The Critic
Whether you're a solo entrepreneur, a small business owner, or a corporate executive, one of the things that can drive you absolutely nuts is trying to figure out how to silence the inner critic that rears its ugly head and stomps your business dreams into the ground whenever you try ...
The Art of Laying People Off
I hope that you never have to lay off or fire people, but the reality is that you will as you advance in your career. If you are scoffing (“Guy, you are clueless: We’ll never downsize, because we’re growing so fast, and I’ll never make a bad hire”), then you’re ...
Review of Guy Kawasaki’s “Reality Check”: Refreshingly Irreverent and Useful
"The Art of the Start" was my first introduction to Guy Kawasaki. I thought it was good.
Reading his posts here on the OPEN Forum, was my second experience. I thought those were good too. Then following and being followed by Guy Kawasaki on Twitter piqued my ...
|
|
