Tips on Starting Up Your Web Business
Many web startuppers wonder what they should invest their hard saved pennies on, when starting up their web business. Ryan Carson of Carsonified took the time and put together the first one of a series of videos he is planning to do, named “How to Build a Web Start-up”.
Here’s Part 1 of the series:
YouTube Video Ryan Carson on How to Build a Web Start-up, Part 1
First part of the video deals with idea of only buying stuff that is absolutely essential for business operation. Most of the stuff you think you’d need right upfront is probably not so important as you thought it were:
A desk and a chair: You probably own one already, only buy a new one if you can’t use your existing one. Do not choose the best one, go for a solution below $200.
Computer: where are you reading this entry? If your answer is “At home” you can use the computer you are staring at to start up your business. The idea that a new computer would change the way you do business is often a wrong one.
Business cards: In most cases you don’t need them, but if you can’t do without, let moo.com print your cards (they provide fancy cards with your own flickr pictures etc.) .
Website: Of course you need a website when starting up you online business. To save money you can use the free web publishing software named Wordpress and choose from a variety of ready-made website templates. You can even use the hosted version at wordpress.com which is also free (but not as configurable as a self-hosted solution).
Logo: choose a typeface that you really like (for instance at veer.com) and use the company name as your logo (maybe slightly modified). You can expand on that later on, when your receiving money from your clients / ad networks etc.
Financial planning is essential: Cash Flow
Second part of the video handles fincanial planning and cash flow, which is something that you absolutely should do before you start. Many people get kicked out of business only because of the lack of financial planning (especially cash flow planning).
Contrary to expectations it’s something that is easily done, if you have a spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel or Openoffice Calc. You could even use the free Google Docs through your web browser to avoid installing a spreadsheet application on your computer.
Easy but helpful tips if you’re just starting out. You often regret your early business expenses because you realise later on that they weren’t as essential for your business as you thought they might be. So be warned and ask yourself these questions for everything you’re considering to buy:
- Is it really vital for my business to buy this now?
- What will I gain through this purchase within next month?
- What will I loose if I do NOT buy this now?
Hope that helps. If you have any additional tips or questions on starting up your own web business, let me know in the comments below.
