|
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
Make Something You Can Touch (Even Service Businesses!)
The client-service industries are infamous for ideas that exist outside of the realm of possible. For consulting, idea-generation, advertising, and advisory-type companies, there is often a struggle to really identify with a client’s needs, goals, and situation. There is a tendency to propose ideas without consideration for the “execution experience.” ...
Three Most Likely Mistakes … And How To Avoid Them
What are the three most likely mistakes that small- and medium-sized businesses make during economic downturns -- and how can they avoid them?
The global financial crisis is cutting deep into the economy. Consumer confidence has hit record lows. Layoff announcements arrive daily. Against this bracing headwind, small- and medium-sized businesses ...
Build, Baby, Build
With the country mired in a recession and President-elect Obama assuming power next January, it is clear that federal infrastructure spending will increase substantially.
The President-elect’s proposed economic stimulus package includes billions of dollars dedicated to roads, bridges and other public works projects. He has also called for ...
A Purpose for Every Season
If you sell an expensive product or service, it can seem like a daunting task to get buyers to commit to you right now. People are "tightening their belt" and "watching their cash flow." But you as the seller need to walk into every opportunity with confidence! Buyers feed off ...
|
|
