Ask Laura About Finding An Idea
Here’s another in the question and answer series of Ask Laura regarding Getting Started.
This gentleman wrote me because he wanted to start a side business online and return to a rural lifestyle away from the city. However, he couldn’t think of an idea for his online business!
Although this email is quite old (2004) and has focus on info-products and ebay selling (two areas which are harder to make money at now), the premise still stands. You must have a passion and an interest in your business to really make it online.
‘Making it online’ could be making money, making a name for yourself, or making a website that grows to huge proportion and has an exit strategy.
The conversation begins with defining yourself, your hobbies, your interests and ends with an idea for an online business.
Ideas for Online Business - Ask Laura (August 30, 2004)
Hello Laura:
I am 48 and my wife is 38. We have no kids living with us. My wife is from a town of about 15,000 in Indiana, and I grew up in a town about the same size in California. We have lived in *edited* for the last 12 years. The income here is good, and housing can be had for a reasonable percent of your wages.
Unfortunately, there is no time to enjoy much.
Work hours and commutes are long and any recreation you think of to do, there is already a crowd there with the same idea.
My wife is an administrative assistant and I have spent the last 30 some years working in the parts department at Chrysler dealerships. We both enjoy being creative and crafty. I also enjoy wood working and building something out of salvage or scrap pieces, and enjoy home improvement projects (I’m a HGTV junkie).
Anything where I can be creative would be interesting to me. My wife likes to crochet and also has recently gotten into candle making. Anyhow, we both crave a simpler, less harried lifestyle.
Thanks again for your consultation.
Blane
*****************
Blane:
Some of the more obvious ways to make money online is ebay selling and info product creation.
Now I don’t know much about ebay selling (other than I first started this way as well). I used to buy junk chandeliers for $1-5, paint them, repair the wiring, etc. and sell them for $150-200 each. It was fun to do, satisfied my artistic side and made me some quick cash. But it wasn’t a lucrative use of my time (dollar/hour) - I had to find these vintage chandeliers, then do repair and decoration work, then post them on ebay, then package them for postal delivery, etc.
I am aware however that many people make huge dollars on ebay with less work. I can’t say for sure, but I believe they use drop-shippers to handle all the packaging and shipping. You choose the product line, promote it, send them the orders, and they handle the rest. As I said, I’m not sure if that’s how the ‘big’ money is being made on ebay, but I do know that many people are making a killing on ebay…
Now here is something that may interest you, to capitalize on the eBay brand, deliver value to people and make money online too. Lots of people make money simply by promoting the use of ebay! For every new person you can get to sign up to use eBay, eBay pays you a minimum of $12 USD! I make over $100 month on one of my sites just from people registering new accounts with eBay.
The other way to make money online is info products (which is one of my ‘things’). Talk about awesome! You put together a little book, set up a pay page, and away you go… this is probably what you’ve already read of mine.
With your crafty talents I’d suggest something like this…do you have a piece that you have made, or that you know is being made and is selling like hotcakes somewhere?
I’ll give you an example:
My husband makes these twig lights when he was laid off for the winter he made a pile of them, and sold them at my friend’s shop for $85 (she added her percentage in, which made them $170). People bought these like crazy.
Some people said “I can make these myself…” and went home and tried. Reporting back to the store they said they could make them, and they looked alright but it took a long time, and they didnt’ look as nice as Eric’s.
Now, had we been smart we could have also supplied the shop with an info product (make your own twig lamp). And, if we had the time or the interest we could probably sell an info product on making twig lamps for other crafters.
My point is, if you can take something you love to do, that has a following or interest online (for instance my goat book - who would have thought that an info book on goats would be a good seller?), you’ll be off and running.
And if it only manages to replace part of your current income, then make another info book, and another, until you have more than one stream of income. I have 4 info products, plus multiple other streams. They replace my old income of designing sites online and I do little through the work week to support or promote these items. Now (2004) I’m in a position where I can (a) help others, and (b) work towards replacing my husband’s income.
I’ve been rambling here…but I hope some of it helps to move you forward…think on all this, what your talents and interests are, etc. and feel free to write me back - collaboration is a wonderful thing!
Laura
************
The 2007 Way to Make Money Partnering with EBAY
As I mentioned above, eBay pays website owners to send them traffic. New account setups will net you a minimum of $12 per person, but eBay also pays you for any sale you help them make. Their affiliate program is on a sliding scale, often with incentives and bonuses (which we can talk about another day). In the final months of 2006 I’ve been experimenting with a script that builds websites loaded with eBay products, all embedded with your referral link.
You can build custom websites with no html or php experience, that have serious potential to make you money online in less than an hour - start to finish. Instead of getting into how this works or how easy it is, I’m providing a free report that explains how to do this for all my online website visitors. Click: learn how to set up a website that makes money from eBay sales without having to sell a product! It’s a quick 4 pages and has a link within to a demo site where you can see and try it out for yourself.
************
Last names and email addresses are never disclosed on this website, but proof of all email communication can be provided upon request. These emails are published solely to help and assist others with similar questions, situations and problems with getting their online business started or making their website business more successful.
Find similar: Ask Laura
Search by: business online, making money, make money online, ebay, free report
Hi Laura:
I am a Toronto city girl myself now living in Northern Ontario. I came across your website after another frustrating day (after selling more junk on eBay) searching the net for ideas to make money at home in the country. Would you believe I found your site while searching for a goat cheese recipe? I thought I found a kindred spirit in you. I was so excited when I read your story. I could relate to everything you said. Thank you for the inspiration and guidance. Your knowledge is vast. I also like the fact that your website(s) is user friendly, approachable and effective. You do come across as a trustworthy and supportive friend (I even forgot that I don’t know you). As I was browsing through page after page, I could think of a few people who could use your help and you can be sure, I will be informing them to use your services.
In the meantime, it has fueled and given me hope in this new country living of mine. I will go back to the drawing board and when my product(s) is ready, I will be back in touch. Your site is bookmarked!
By the way, I was a graphic designer who was sick of the corporate world who became a caterer who was sick of the corporate world and left the city. What do you think of e-recipes and e-DYIs?
- Rachel