By Darrell Finkeldei
Building an online business is a lot like a mason building
a block wall. Lay the blocks on sand using bad mortar and
the wall will crumble and eventually fall.
But, build it on a solid foundation using quality blocks
and good mortar, carefully laying each in place one-by-one,
and the wall will stand indefinitely.
Think of building your Internet business the same way.
First, you should build on a solid foundation. Your
foundation will be your area of knowledge or expertise.
Something you are passionate about.
Once the foundation is laid, you'll start laying the
building blocks of your e-business into place. Your blocks
will be exactly the same ones that every other successful
Internet business owner used to build theirs. Only the
mortar will be different. That's because YOU are the
mortar. You are the unique glue that holds all the blocks
of your business in place.
And, unlike a mason who can lay hundreds of bricks every
day, you'll first need to learn about each of the building
blocks of e-business before you start laying them into
place. And you'll need to lay the first few in a certain
order to get started right.
The good news is that there's only a handful of blocks
you'll need to learn about. No need to ever be overwhelmed
or intimidated. Anyone can build an e-business. Simply
build your business one block at a time.
So, what are the blocks? Simply put, each block is a
certain skill or tool that you'll learn to use. As you
build your business you'll use the same ones over and over
again. And each time you use one you'll learn more about
it. As you lay these blocks into place as you need them,
they'll interlock into a solid business.
Here's the blocks in their proper order:
Block #1 - Understanding & Using Email
You'll need to learn how to connect with your readers and
how to communicate your passion and excitement. You'll also
need to know how to make your email messages look
professional through the use of a text editor.
Block #2 - Publishing a Newsletter & Building Your List
This block is an absolute must for building a successful
business and goes hand-in-hand with Block #1.
Block #3 - Developing or Acquiring Your Own Products
To make REAL money online you need to have control over
exclusive products or services. Whether of your own
creation or something you bought the rights to.
Block #4 - Your Own Web Site
This is your constant presence on the web. A place to build
your subscriber list and a place for visitors to be
introduced to and buy your products.
Block #5 - Promotion
Effective promotion strategies bring more visitors to your
web site and make a name for your business. This is a skill
you'll learn over time.
Block #6 - Internet Advertising
Here's where you learn to introduce new products, increase
your sales and expand your name recognition.
Starting an online business is simply a matter of tackling
each one of these basic building blocks one at a time.
Don't worry about being great at any of them in the
beginning. Once you start laying each block into place and
using them over and over again, you'll develop and fine-
tune your skills as you go along.
