The time of year that has an effect on every business, irrelevant of its size, industry or indeed any other factor, Christmas might seem like a fun and enjoyable period for most businesses, but it brings with it the need to plan and prepare for the holiday season. And this includes online businesses. As tempting as it may be to carry out no preparation whatsoever, log off your computer on Christmas [...]

Summary: When you start a new website or blog, should you write articles solely for search engines, or should readers be your number one concern? Find out how why your starting content strategy can make or break your website. A lot of webmasters really have a pretty lousy content strategy in place. Here’s an example (based on a question I recently saw asked on a webmaster forum): Someone wanted [...]

Summary: Do you take your online business seriously, or are you setting yourself up for failure? Find out why you need to treat your online business as a real business venture and not a casual hobby (such as blogging for profit) if you want to reap the most rewards and keep it all legal. I know there are plenty of “serious” online ventures. At the same time I think there are infinitely [...]

Summary: As an entrepreneur, if someone approached you today and offered you full-time employment with their company with higher pay than you earn through your small business, would you close your business and take the job? I stumbled across a Wall Street Journal article today that I want to share with you: Owners Wouldn’t Quit for More Money Ironically, I was just having a conversation with [...]

Summary:Do you ever get bored, frustrated, or lonely if you work at home alone? If you’re a freelancer or home business owner and you’re anything like me, you occasionally do. Find out how I overcome the solitude of working at home online, and share your own tips for a more social solitary work life. Despite the rewards, sometimes freelancing or running a home-based business can be a lonely [...]

After you’ve chosen a niche for your new blog, the next steps in setting up a blog are choosing a blog name, domain name, and Web hosting company. Start by reading Choosing a Business Name and Domain Name for Your Online Business.

No matter what type of business you’re in, you probably need to use some kind of business forms – anything from invoices and contracts to HR forms for employee management and recruitment. With legal forms, I’d recommend you consider hiring an attorney who knows your local laws. Yet there are many type of business forms that you can find for free on the Web. Here are a few places to [...]

Whether you sell products or services online, there are a lot of things you can do to increase online sales. Use these five tips to help you increase your online sales easily: 1. If you sell products, offer discounts or free shipping for larger orders. Amazon.com is great at this by offering free shipping on orders over a certain dollar amount. 2. Hire a copywriter to revamp your sales copy if your [...]

If you’re thinking about starting an online business, you’ve probably realized that there’s a lot you can do on the Web these days to earn a living (or some side money, if that’s your goal). So how do you choose an online business idea? Make a list of things that interest you (could be a career path to hobbies). Make a list of your skills or expertise (degrees, computer skills, [...]