Welcome to this effort to reach out to more of the entrepreneurs and small business owners of Southeast Missouri. I hope you will come back to this blog from time to time as I plan on weekly updating it with tips and news about the small business world. I really would like for this to be a vehicle for you to communicate to me also.
For my first entry, let's talk about making money online with a green slant. I was reading the other day in Success magazine about six websites you can take your talents to and market them online. I know from my many discussions with prospective and current small business owners, getting the word out on their products at a low cost is incredibly important to the success of their business. So I thought let's talk about these websites and see what you have to say. So feel to share your experiences with them and help us all.
Website #1 - etsy.com - is aimed at the arts and craft section of entrepreneurism; people who want to sell their arts and crafts can work with this website to have their product posted and offered for sale; right now around 800,000 items are sold each month on it for about $12.6 million; the website charges a listing fee and percentage of the sale price. Any experience with this? I do know they will not take certain products so make sure you check out the list before you try to submit.
Website #2 - clickbank.com - this website is all about the digital world; if you sell ebooks, software or other digital products this is probably the place to be on; the topics vary from a to z so go in look around and see what you can add.
Website #3 - fotomoto.com - reminds me of a song from my high school days in 80's; but it helps you sell your photography by processing development orders, arranging payments and making prints of the order picture or other products using your picture; they will even ship to your customers; so if you are an amateur photographer like I was at one time, this might be a way to get your pictures out there for sale.
Website #4 - liveperson.com - if you have a question about a business topic or any topic, then you can go to this website and find an expert person willing to talk to you about the topic on a cost per service basis; you could be one of those experts charging others for your time while talking to them about a topic you have in depth experience with.
Website #5 - associatedcontent.com - if you like to write, then why not get paid for it; this website pays contributors to write articles on a variety of topics that consumers want to know about; while you need to know the topic, you also need to be able to write in a way to optimize your article.
Website #6 - volusion.com - if you want to sell your product on your own website (not like etsy.com) then you might want to take a look at this site; they help you build, grow and manage your online store; they will help you create your own website, help market it and provide ongoing consultation and support.
So if you have had any experience with these website, share with us and start up a chat. I know I will learn from you.
Until next week, take care and have a happy Christmas.